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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/11/09 - Minutes - PC-HPC CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Regular Meeting November 9, 2011 Chairman Munoz called the Regular Meeting of the City of Rancho Cucamonga Planning Commission to order at 7:04 p.m. The meeting was held in the Council Chambers at Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center, 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS: PRESENT: Richard Fletcher, Frances Howdyshell, Lou Munoz, Francisco Oaxaca, Ray Wimberly ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Steven Flower, Assistant City Attorney; Donald Granger, Senior Planner; Dan James, Senior Civil Engineer; Lois Schrader, Planning Commission Secretary; Mike Smith,Associate Planner; James Troyer, Planning Director x x x x x ANNOUNCEMENTS None x x x x x APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: Moved by Howdyshell, seconded by Oaxaca, carried 4-0-1 (Munoz abstain),to approve the minutes of October 26, 2011. x x x x x PUBLIC HEARINGS A. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND TENTATIVE TRACT MAP SUBTT18122-CHAFFEY JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT-A proposal to subdivide five(5)vacant parcels with a combined area of about 53 acres into 76 lots in the Very Low (VL) Residential District, Etiwanda Specific Plan, located at the east side of East Avenue, about 150 feet north of the Foothill Freeway(SR-210)-APNs: 0225-191-03, 04, 13, 15, and 20. Related files: Preliminary Review DRC2006-00793, Variance 2009-00020, and Tree Removal Permit DRC2009-00224. Staff has prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration of environmental impacts for consideration. B. VARIANCE DRC2009-00020 - CHAFFEY JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT - A request to allow perimeter walls in excess of 6 feet, the maximum wall height permitted in residential districts, for noise attenuation purposes along the perimeter of a proposed 76-lot subdivision with a combined area of about 53 acres in the Very Low (VL) Residential District, Etiwanda Specific Plan, located at the east side of East Avenue, about 150 feet north of the Foothill Freeway (SR-210) -APN: 0225-191-03, 04, 13, 15, and 20. Related file: Preliminary Review DRC2006-00793, Tentative Tract Map SUBTT18122, and Tree Removal Permit DRC2009-00224. • C. TREE REMOVAL PERMIT DRC2009-00224 - CHAFFEY JOINT UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT - A request to remove trees in conjunction with a proposal to subdivide five (5) vacant parcels with a combined area of about 53 acres into 76 lots in the Very Low (VL) Residential District, Etiwanda Specific Plan, located at the east side of East Avenue,about 150 feet north of the Foothill Freeway (SR-210) -APN: 0225-191-03, 04, 13, 15, and 20. Related file: Preliminary Review DRC2006-00793, Tentative Tract Map SUBTT18122, and Variance DRC2009-00020. Mike Smith, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. He summarized the prior review of the project and the agency comments received with respect to the Initial Study. He reported that several agencies requested more information to support staffs determination. He said a new Mitigated Negative Declaration was prepared, additional mitigations were added and then it was re-circulated. He said no home product is proposed at this time but the request includes a variance and tree removal permit. He said no further correspondence or calls has been received about the revised study or the project proposal. Chairman Munoz mentioned the letters received from SCAQMD, CWCB, the Department of Fish and Game and the Army Corp of Engineers. Mr. Smith confirmed that the delay in moving the project forward was related to time needed to address their concerns. Chairman Munoz opened the public hearing. Vice Chairman Howdyshell asked for more information about the fencing proposal and if it is compatible with the fencing for the developments to the west. Mr. Smith said we defer to Caltrans for a standard wall design along the freeway, however, if Caltrans requires the same as those prior developments the walls will be split face block/fluted block. Commissioner Oaxaca noted the copies of correspondence received commenting on the Initial Study and how each specified specific areas of concern. He asked what the specific responses • were for the record. Mr. Smith explained that staff re-wrote the initial study and it was then re-circulated in its entirety. • Some of the comments related to a claim the hardcopies of various studies we supplied initially were missing. Commissioner Oaxaca said it is not clear where the responses were incorporated. He mentioned the number of lots; AQMD impacts to sensitive land uses. He referred to a 500 foot buffer requirement between the project and the freeway. Mr. Smith noted that the consultants prepared a new air quality study to address their comments. He said they revised their specific study to address the concerns. He also noted that GHG's were not discussed at all in the old study as the requirements have recently changed. He said the new report does discuss them and it includes all applicable data and it is all incorporated into the new Initial Study so the reviewing agency could review our response and new data. Commissioner Oaxaca suggested that it might be helpful to include the specific responses in the future for future projects. Commissioner Fletcher asked with respect to GHGs, air quality, bio habitat,jurisdictional waters if these were included in the first study or was there not enough detail provided. Planning Commission Minutes -2- November 9, 2011 Mr. Smith explained that some information included in the Initial Study Part 1 such as the number of lots was simply revised over the course of time. He said staff made corrections to Part I and they are shown in the agenda packet. He said the size of that habitat area to be mitigated was originally 9 acres and was then reduced down to 2.9 acres. He said staff explained how they arrived at the new number and it was put into new study (Part II). He said the new study is the final document. Commissioner Fletcher asked about the height of the sound wall. Mr. Smith said it would be about 22 feet high as viewed from the freeway but would actually be 15 feet from the residents' view. David Jeffers of David Jeffers Consulting Inc, 19 Spectrum Pointe Drive, Lake Forest. He said staffs presentation was thorough. He said over the last 3.5 years they faced many issues. He said Mr. Smith was cordial, professional and very helpful throughout the process and in solving these issues. Chairman Munoz opened the public hearing for comment and seeing none, closed the public hearing. Commissioner Fletcher thanked staff for the thorough report. He said it is a simple map with a reasonable Variance and Tree Removal Permit request. He said he has no concerns and offered his support. Commissioner Wimberly said he concurred. He said the lot design is standard, and the variance is similar to many others and typical. He said he was happy to have had the applicants at the DRC. Commissioner Oaxaca concurred. He said they had some challenges over time but with working together with staff, they overcame them. He thanks staff for the thorough report and in answering their questions. Vice Chairman Howdyshell noted that comments from 3 agencies can be challenging. She thanked staff for addressing the issues. Chairman Munoz said Mr. Smith did a great report. He noted that this is a fairly standard application. He commented for the benefit of the students and remarked how this is how development gets started. He said the applicants needed to accomplish many things; there is a lot of legwork prior to the project approval. Motion: Moved by Howdyshell, seconded by Wimberly, to adopt the Resolutions of Approval for Tentative Tract Map SUBTT18122; Variance DRC2009-00020; and Tree Removal Permit DRC2009-00224. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: FLETCHER, HOWDYSHELL, MUNOZ, OAXACA, WIMBERLY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried D. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT(NON-CONSTRUCTION) DRC2011-00990-BUFFALO WINGS & RINGS - A request to modify Conditional Use Permits DRC2007-00258 and DRC2007- 00258U to increase the hours of operation Monday through Wednesday and on Sundays for a sit-down restaurant located at 12375 Base Line Road, Suite 101, in the Mixed Use District of the Victoria Planned Community at the southeast corner of Base Line Road and Day Creek Boulevard-APN: 227-161-58. The project qualifies as a Class 1 exemption under State CEQA Planning Commission Minutes -3- November 9, 2011 Guidelines Section 15301 which covers the permitting of existing structures. CONTINUANCE REQUESTED James Troyer, Planning Director, reported that staff is requesting the continuance on behalf of the applicants because the applicants have decided they would like to expand their arcade use. Time is needed to re-advertise the item incorporating the expanded use request. Chairman Munoz asked if anyone in the audience wanted to comment that could not attend on December 14, 2011. Seeing/hearing no response, he then asked for a motion. Motion: Moved by Fletcher, seconded by Oaxaca, to re-advertise the item as requested for the December 14, 2011 meeting. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: FLETCHER, HOWDYSHELL, MUNOZ, OAXACA, WIMBERLY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried E. DESIGN REVIEW DRC2011-00671 - K. HOVNANIAN - RANCHO 79-A request to add a 5th floor plan, re-plot 9 parcels, add a loggia option to the Plan 1 floor plan and make revisions to the Plan 2 floor plan of the previously approved Development Review DRC2010-00259 for 79 single-family lots on 34.1 acres of land in the Low Residential District (2-4 dwelling units per acre) in the Etiwanda North Specific Plan, located on the north side of Day Creek Boulevard, west of the Southern California Edison Corridor-APN: 1087-101-01 thru-55, 1087-111-01 thru -02, 1087-111-14 thru 1087-111-19, 1087-111-21, and 1087-111-27 thru 1087-111-36. Related files:Tentative Tract Map SUBTT16226-1. Staff has found the project to be within the scope of the project covered by a prior Environmental Impact Report(State Clearinghouse#88082915 and #98121091 certified by the City Council on August 1, 2001) and does not raise or create new environmental impacts not already considered in that Environmental Impact Report. Donald Granger, Senior Planner presented the staff report. He said the developer has requested four changes from the prior approval: 1-replot 9 parcels to opt floor plans; 2-add Loggia to Plan 1; 3-add 600 square feet to Plan 2—a bump-out on the second story;4-add to Plan 5—a 3,700 square foot model, the largest in this development. He said they will have 26 single-story homes in the development -totaling 33%. He said they already had a certified EIR and no new impacts were raised or considered and the circumstances have not changed, so no further analysis is required. He noted that the DRC requested some elevation enhancements. Chairman Munoz opened the public hearing. Steve Scherbarth of K. Hovnanian Homes thanked Mr. Fowler for his expeditious help. He reported that they went back to a larger square footage because many people want a downstairs bedroom because there is a trend of the elderly moving back in. He also noted the desire for additional storage space. He said Plan 5 added a garage to net 4 cars (1 tandem). Chairman Munoz thanked them for tweaking their product to address the needs of the current market. Commissioner Fletcher asked the applicant to explain the Loggia option. Mr. Scherbarth said they enhanced the bump-out to the backyard to make it more marketable. Commissioner Oaxaca asked for more information about the 9 lots that are being re-plotted. Planning Commission Minutes -4- November 9, 2011 Mr. Scherbarth said they are shifting them to make them fit better. He said there are no extensive changes. Vice Chairman Howdyshell said she is pleased that K Hovnanian is willing as a company to be proactive to what buyers want, especially to add a downstairs bedroom. She noted that the loggia is also a nice feature. Chairman Munoz closed the public hearing. Vice Chairman Howdyshell complimented the developer for their proactive approach. Commissioner Oaxaca gave a second to that. He said this is a great example of the developer thinking on their feet with respect to the market. He said it is very attractive and he is looking forward to seeing it completed. Commissioner Wimberly said the builder came forward with a product mix to meet the demands of the market. He thanked them for working with staff and the DRC and for responding to our comments. Commissioner Fletcher noted that it is a previously approved project with minor changes for the better. He said he hopes they get it built and sold fast. Chairman Munoz said it was a pleasure to work with the applicants. He said they have come back to finish what they started. Motion: Moved by Fletcher, seconded by Wimberly, to adopt the Resolution of Approval for Design Review DRC2010-00671. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: FLETCHER; HOWDYSHELL, MUNOZ, OAXACA, WIMBERLY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried NEW BUSINESS F. DEVELOPMENT REVIEW DRC2011-00560 - AMERICAN TIRE DEPOT - BEDROS DARKJIAN-A request to construct a 7,885 square foot tire sales and service building on a 1.38 acre parcel within the Victoria Commons Retail Center within the General Commercial District at 11951 Foothill Boulevard - APN: 0229-023-01. On January 24, 2007 a Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted by the Planning Commission for Tentative Parcel Map SUBTPM17818. The California Environmental Quality Act provides that no further environmental review or Negative Declaration is required for subsequent projects or minor revisions to projects within the scope of a previous Mitigated Negative Declaration. Donald Granger, Senior Planner presented the staff report. He noted that in 2007 the Victoria Commons Development was approved and construction is again occurring. He said the proposed architectural design is of a contemporary winery commercial design theme. He said unsightly views will be blocked from the street view and the service bay windows will be tinted. He said the design has excellent articulation, shadow, relief, and visual interest including a stacked stone element. He said the DRC recommended approval after the first round. He said the environmental determination is still consistent with no need for further review and no additional mitigation measures. He reported that no correspondence was received or calls. He said the project is near the historic Aggazotti House and conditions are included to ensure this use is a good neighbor such as low-level noise equipment and a special material on floor of the service bay will minimize tire squeal. Planning Commission Minutes -5- November 9, 2011 Commissioner Fletcher asked if the Aggazotti home is a personal residence or a business. He said the parking there resembles commercial parking. He also asked about access to the site. Mr. Granger indicated it is a residence and there are two points of access along Foothill Boulevard. Commissioner Oaxaca asked about the location of the service bays. Mr. Granger said the entrances to the bays are on the south side of the building looking north. Chairman Munoz said it was a good report. Bedros Darkjian said they have been in process for 9 months. He reported that they ended up with • an entirely different but better design. He said they did a full noise study. He said this is their 401h store in California and it has the latest technology. He said they agree with all the.conditions of approval. Chairman Munoz asked if there was any public comment. Seeing none, he closed the public comment period. Commissioner Fletcher noted that the design worked out well, it will be a nice visual from Foothill Boulevard and he has no concerns. Commissioner Wimberly said the applicant came to DRC and they worked with staff very well. He said it is fantastic that they had no revisions. He said it is a sound, attractive project-it will be nice. He said he looks forward to seeing it. Commissioner Oaxaca said the structure looks nice and the tower element recalls the winery theme around the City of Rancho Cucamonga. Vice Chairman said it has a nice presence along Foothill Boulevard. She said it sounds like it came together quickly and that there was a good partnership. Chairman Munoz said ditto to all. He mentioned that there was little work to do at DRC. He said we are cautious about building a tire center on Foothill boulevard, but this is designed so that this could go from a retail center to something else easily. He said the look of it does not say "tires" and all concerns of noise etc. were addressed. Motion: Moved by Wimberly, seconded by Fletcher, to adopt the Resolution of Approval for Development Review DRC2011-00560. Motion carried by the following vote: • AYES: FLETCHER, HOWDYSHELL, MUNOZ, OAXACA, WIMBERLY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried DIRECTOR'S REPORTS G. DEVELOPMENT CODE UPDATE STATUS REPORT AND REVIEW OF PROPOSED CHANGES James Troyer, Planning Director, presented the staff report and a brief PowerPoint presentation (copy on file). Chairman Munoz noted that staff is updating the Development Code for the first time in many years. Planning Commission Minutes -6- November 9, 2011 Mr. Troyer thanked Assistant City Attorney Steven Flower for his assistance and noted that he knows more about zoning codes than most attorneys. The secretary received and filed the report. PUBLIC COMMENTS None COMMISSION BUSINESS AND COMMENTS Chairman Munoz commented on the full parking lot at the grand opening of Hobby Lobby and the future opening of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor. He said business money is coming back to Rancho Cucamonga. He thanked staff for all their hard work toward that end. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Moved by Howdyshell, seconded by Oaxaca, carried 5-0, to adjourn. The Planning Commission adjourned at 8:03 p.m. espectfully submitted, 1 James R. Troyer, AICP Secretary Approved: December 14, 2011 • t Planning Commission Minutes -7- November 9, 2011