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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/08/27 - Workshop Minutes - PC-HPCTHE CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA WORKSHOP MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION AUGUST 27, 2014 - 7:00 PM* TRI -COMMUNITIES ROOM 10500 CIVIC CENTER DRIVE RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CALIFORNIA 11 I. CALL TO ORDER Roll Call 8:20 PM Chairman Howdyshell X Vice Chairman Fletcher X Munoz X Wimberly X Oaxaca X 11 II. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS This is the time and place for the general public to address the Planning Commission on any item listed or not listed on the agenda. State law prohibits the Commission from addressing any issue not previously included on the Agenda. 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 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 the speaker, making loud noises, or engaging in any activity which might be disruptive to the decorum of the meeting. Candyce Burnett, Planning Director, gave a broad overview of the purpose of the workshop, which is to give the applicants the opportunity to present their conceptual project to the Commission and for the Commission to offer comment and general direction. Steven Flower, Assistant City Attorney noted that tonight's workshop would not include any action or decision on the project, that is reserved for future public hearing(s). Testimony was received from the following persons both in support and opposition of the project Suzanne Thomas of Cross & Crown Church said their goal is to serve the community and therefore need to sell a portion of theirproperty for financial reasons. She said the developer has made a great effort to address the issues. She reported that the wall was built on part of the church property and there was no written agreement concerning that. PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP ;s MINUTES RANCHO AUGUST 27, 2014 CGCA.MONCA Page 2 Lorraine Ming, a Toll Brothers homeowner, said the homeowners want the wall, it was built with a permit and is described as a garden, perimeter and retaining wall of their development She said the cost of the wall was included in the homeowners' purchase price. She said to remove it is illegal. She said they rely on the wall for a garden look and safety. Paul Russel said the City will collect some tax revenue from the development and said it would enhance what is now a dry field. He offered support of the project and suggested they teardown the wall. Raymond Grigolla said he did not know why the traffic would be directed onto Carnesi. He said his street is currently used by school traffic. He did not favor the project. Regina Johnson said development near schools will always have traffic and we need to embrace growth and development in the City. Micheal Scott Jepson gave support of the project. Jerry Bredlau said he lives on Pinon. He said the school traffic is awful and that there was an agreement with the City about the wall. He did not support the project. Patrick Lee said he lives on Camesi and opposes the removal of the wall. He said the builder keeps changing the plans. He favored access to the project from Etiwanda Avenue and using the church easement. He cited traffic impacts. Debbie Camuu said Toll Brothers asked the church forpennission to build the wall and they gave it because they wanted to be 'good neighbors'. She said the church wants to eliminate their debt. She said she believes the Toll Brothers residents are trying to isolate themselves from the community. She said the project would enhance property values and eliminate a vacant field. Sharon Huey said Cross and Crown Church has a history of service here and abroad and that promotes the good name of the City. She expressed support of the development. Katherine Pretoria said she hopes for a 'win-win' for both groups. She looks forward to the new homes and said Rancho Cucamonga is a wonderful place to live. The public comment period closed at 8:45 PM. III. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION A. WORKSHOP REVIEW OF TENTATIVE TRACT MAP SUBTT18936 - STORM WESTERN DEVELOPMENT INC -Site plan review of a 17 -lot subdivision totaling 8.32 acres (16 lots for residential purposes and 1 lot for existing church) currently located within the Very Low (VL) Development District with a request for a General Plan Amendment (DRC2013-00961) and an Etiwanda Specific Plan Amendment (DRC2013-00962) to change the project site to Low (L) Residential (church site to remain Very Low Residential) for a site located on the south side of Carnesi Drive and east of Etiwanda Avenue, APN: 0227-061-03 and 82. Related files: General Plan t PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP MINUTES RANCHO AUGUST 27, 2014 CuCA.HoucA Page 3 Amendment DRC2013-00961 and Etiwanda Specific Plan Amendment DRC2013-00962 Tabe van der Zwaag, Associate Planner gave a PowerPoint presentation (copy on file) detailing the project history, the residents' concerns and the evolution of various site plans/proposals and the pros and cons of each. Jay Ahluwalia, President of Storm Western Development gave a PowerPoint presentation (copy on file) also describing their company history, project review history and the various alternatives to the original plan submitted. He said he believes the wall was built to assist as a retaining wall, to direct water flows and to provide a streamline street scene. He said transitional landscaping would be provided to minimize the awkward condition of rearyards backing up to a side yard. He said flag lots would prevent them from losing lots and landscaping would minimize impacts. He said buyers like flag lots because they have long driveways to park more cars. He noted many homes are built with these same conditions in local neighborhoods. Commissioner Fletcher expressed his appreciation to all those that came to the meeting. He said he likes the reduced cut section of the wall. He said it is not appropriate to restrict the property rights of the church. He said providing an Emergency Vehicle Access at the knuckle of Street A is the best solution. that connecting with Pinon was not the best idea. He said he did not have a big concern with side elevations along Camesi that those elevations could be enhanced and they are likely to be somewhat hidden by the wall anyway. He said he did not have a big problem with flag lots because they help deal with the uniqueness of the property site. He said traffic generated by 16 homes is negligible. He said reducing the cut of the wall would preserve the feeling of the Toll Brothers development to the north. He said the project would be an enhancement to property values. Commissioner Oaxaca said he generally concurs and both he and Commissioner Fletcher serve on the DRC. He said they both thought the applicant should rethink the site plan. He said the cul-de-sac solution is the more effective option. He said changing the density to Low is the most reasonable approach. He said the rear/side yard and flag lot condition is not ideal but at times unavoidable. He said he would want to see more details of the design of the proposed entrance off Camesi Drive and he would also like to have a better idea of the landscape treatments to mitigate the rear yard/side yard impacted lots. Commissioner Munoz said part of the process is hearing both sides and the needs and concerns of all. He said he concurs regarding property owners rights. He said it appears the developer has gone to a great extent to try to address everyone's needs. He did not believe traffic from 16 homes would be an issue. He said the density transition makes sense. He said it seems to address the concerns of all 3 groups... no one group wins. He suggested the developer focus on design. He said that new homes can mitigate the perception of devaluation of the existing homes. He suggested that with the 60 -foot entry that it should be a 'great' one (i.e. visually exceptional). PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP r MINUTES CW,yo O AUGUST 27, 2014 Page 4 Commissioner Wimberly concurred and suggested that they make the design as upscale as possible. He said he is adamant about 360 degree architecture. He said he personally dislikes flag lots and the side yard/rear yard configuration-. He said he recalls a suggestion at a prior meeting to scale down the project to 14 lots and that he did not see that idea presented. He said he recommends that they work on that suggestion. He said the entrance/gateway should be as outstanding as possible. Chairman Howdyshell thanked the Commissioners for their comments. She said smart planning is key and that the aesthetics should be consistent with the Toll Brothers development. She said they should blend the two and that is doable. She said the approach/entry from Camesi to Street A should be "wow". She said she does not favor flag lots. She thanked the community for corning out. She said this gives the applicant strong feedback to put together the right project. 11 IV. ADJOURNMENT 9:37 PM ®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. If appropriate, a spokesperson may present the views of your entire group. To encourage all views and promote courtesy to others, the audience should refrain from clapping, booing or shouts of approval or disagreement from the audience. The public may address the Planning Commission on any agenda item. To address the Planning Commission, please come forward to the podium located at the center of the staff table. State your name for the record and PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP �- MINUTES RANCHO AUGUST 27, 2014 CUCAMONGA Page 5 speak into the microphone. After speaking, please sign in on the clipboard located next to the speaker's podium. It is important to list your name, address and the agenda item letter your comments refer to. Comments are generally limited to 5 minutes per individual. If you wish to speak concerning an item not on the agenda, you may do so under "Public Comments." . Any handouts for the Planning Commission should be given to the Planning Commission Secretary for distribution to the Commissioners. A copy of any such materials should also be provided to the Secretary to be used for the official public record. All requests for items to be placed on a Planning Commission agenda must be in writing. Requests for scheduling agenda items will be at the discretion of the Commission and the Planning Director. AVAILABILITY OF STAFF REPORTS Copies of the staff reports or other documentation to each agenda item are on file in the offices of the Planning Department, City Hall, located at 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California 91730. These documents are available for public inspections during regular business hours, Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., except for legal City holidays. APPEALS Any interested party who disagrees with the City Planning Commission decision may appeal the Commission's decision to the City Council within 10 calendar days. Any appeal filed must be directed to the City Clerk's Office and must be accompanied by a fee of $2,533 for all decisions of the Commission. (Fees are established and governed by the City Council). Please turn off all cellular phones and pagers while the meeting is in session. Copies of the Planning Commission agendas, staff reports and minutes can be found at www.CitVofRC.us