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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/04/13 - Minutes - PC-HPC CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA . PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Regular Meeting- • April 13, 2011 • Chairman Munoz called the Regular Meeting of the City of Rancho Cucamonga Planning Commission to order at 7:21 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, Lou Munoz, Francisco Oaxaca, . Ray Wimberly ABSENT: Frances Howdyshell STAFF PRESENT: Steven Flower, Assistant City Attorney; Dan James, Senior Civil.Engineer; Lois Schrader, Planning Commission Secretary; Larry Henderson, Principal Planner; Tabe Van der Zwaag, Associate Planner Mike Bell, Fire Chief ANNOUNCEMENTS • None APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion: Moved by Fletcher, seconded by Wimberly, carried 4-0-1 (Howdyshell absent),to approve the minutes of March 23, 2011. • PUBLIC HEARINGS A. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND HILLSIDE DESIGN REVIEW DRC2008-01012 - ANDRESEN ARCHITECTURE, INC - A Development Review Application to consider architectural and site plans for a 11,906 square foot single-family residence, an attached 1,668 square foot RV garage, a 1,359 square foot attached garage, a 2,101 square foot detached equestrian/storage/workshop building and multiple deck/patio areas totaling 5,339 square feet on a 12.42 acre lot located at the northwest corner of Amethyst Avenue and Almond Street•on a site that is encompassed by the Very Low (VL) Residential District (.1 to 2 dwelling units per acre), Flood Control (FC) District and Open Space(OS)District-APN: 1061-501-03. Staff has prepared a Mitigated Negative Declaration of environmental impacts for consideration. Tabe van der Zwaag, Associate Planner, presented the staff report and summarized the project. He noted the applicant will be required to widen Almond Street and install the trail improvements. He reported that three letters were received from neighboring property owners and they have been placed before the Commissioners on the dais (copies on file). The letters are summarized as follows: Paul Biane, 5000 Gooseneck Road said that the widening of Almond Street is excessive and the added streetlight may obstruct evening views of the valley and the mountains. He suggested tree and shrub replacements should be indigenous. He did not oppose the project. Sandy Davis, 9400 Almond Street, sent a letter objecting to the location of the proposed tennis court because of disruptive noise and a perceived danger to horses and riders. Mr. van der Zwaag noted that the tennis court is 60 feet from the Davis property line and 200 feet from the horse stable. He added that the Development Code limits such court lighting to 12 foot poles. John'and Andrea Gull, 2 Gooseneck Drive disagreed with widening Almond Avenue and the installation of the streetlight as • they believe the widening is unnecessary for the traffic levels and a perceived negative effect on the flood control facility. They asked the City for a letter assuring them that the grading for the proposed • project will not negatively affect the status of their current flood potential. They also objected to the streetlight stating there is no need; it will entice unwanted traffic. They asked if a light is installed that it be a lowlight. They also requested the City or the developer to provide the residents of Gooseneck Drive a private electric gate to prevent the flow of additional traffic onto their street in addition to a "No Outlet" sign at the head of the trail and "Private Road, Residents Only" prior to entering Gooseneck Drive. They also suggested the City collect in-lieu fees from the developer and forego the Almond Avenue frontage improvements until other proposed developments occur. The also said the City needs to mitigate for the possibility of pollution arising from the proposed septic system; mitigate noise and light for the tennis court; and potential for creating negative access and • egress during construction as well as illegally parked vehicles. Mr. van der Zwaag pointed out on the map the location of the proposed streetlight and where the widening would occur. Commissioner Fletcher asked if the land to the east in the wash area is developable. Mr. van der Zwaag said once their home is built, essentially there is no more land to build on. He said there is a proposal to use Almond Street as an emergency exit if a proposed development directly east comes in. He said that proposal has not been approved. Commissioner Oaxaca asked what triggered the requirement to widen the section of Almond Street. Dan James, Senior Civil Engineer said when development goes in;the property owner is required to provide the frontage improvements. He said this is a standard condition. He said the Fire District . also reviewed the project and the request to postpone.the widening. He said the Fire District indicated they oppose postponing the widening of Almond Street. Mike Bell, Fire Chief, said the requirement for the road width of 44 feet is an Engineering . Department requirement. He said the Fire District supports the condition because of their access. needs. He said the minimum for their Engines is 26 feet wide. He said he would like to see this as it is a unique area with respect to fire hazard and fire defense and any improvement would be good. He said the wider road provides a larger buffer in the event of a fire and allows the Fire Department to put their resources on that road. He said the additional space is helpful to stage vehicles, and brings the resources closer to the area to.fight the fire. He said he supports the proposed design. Mr. James confirmed that the existing road is 22 feet and it would be widened to about 44 feet. Commissioner Oaxaca asked what the current width of Amethyst at the turn (dog leg) to Almond Street. Mr. James said it varies at some places even down to 15 feet. Chief Bell confirmed it is substandard. He said he would love to see the entire length of the road widened, but it is really needed at that spot. He pointed out that the property on either side is flood control property. Chairman Munoz asked Chief Bell to comment on the requirement for the light standard. Planning Commission Minutes -2- April 13, 2011 • Chief Bell said the Fire Department has no concern; their focus is on the widening of the street to enhance the fire buffer, for staging, evacuation and to better fight a fire. Mr. James said it is a standard condition and the Commission has discretion in this. Commissioner Fletcher asked if such a short buffer in length (about 40 feet) would really help in a Grand Prix style fire. Chief Bell said it is an incremental improvement and they take every advantage they can get. Doug Andresen, 17087 Orange Way, Fontana, stated he is the applicant on the project. He thanked Mr. van der Zwaag for his help. He said it has been a long process with a litany of reports they had to submit. He said Mr. van der Zwaag helped with the grading and architectural issues. He said he • would like to make sure any issues are resolved tonight and they are seeking approval;they hope to break ground this year. He said they have read and agree with all the conditions including widening • Almond Street. He said they tried to mitigate the concerns of the neighbors noting that he met with sandy Davis. He said he moved the driveway and added a screen wall along the property line. He said Ms. Davis asked them to remove the tennis court, but he said no, it was too important to the property owner. He said it was a challenging lot but they did their best. He commented on a previous project he did wherein they could lien the property for the costs of the streetlight for example. He said the driveway is shared and he will handle the paperwork to provide the reciprocal access. Commissioner Oaxaca noted that one letter mentioned concern about how the property improvements would affect the other properties/flood zones. He asked how that was addressed. Mr. Andresen said he kept all of the improvements out of the flood zones; they received a clearance from all of the various districts involved and there is no infringement on any of the flood control areas. Commissioner Oaxaca commented on the design aesthetics. He asked if the property owner has his own property accent lighting to direct their own visitors to the house/front door. Mr. Andresen said that is correct. He said the owner has a gate at their drive further back towards their residence. . Commissioner Fletcher asked if there is an existing access driveway off of Almond Street and if there is an easement in place for that. He asked what affect the widening would have on the culverts. Mr. Andresen responded not at this time but that he will prepare that paperwork. He then clarified the width of the dedication and what portion is part of the flood control district and where widening would occur. Mr. Andresen said about 150 feet of the length of Almond Street will be widened;just the portion on their property frontage. Commissioner Fletcher asked if the applicant is married to the streetlight/if that is something they really want. • Mr. Andresen noted it is a standard condition. He said the property owner agreed to the condition requiring the streetlight. He said it is an unusual condition because 7 of the 8 lots are already built and this would be the only improvement there. Commissioner Fletcher asked for an estimated cost of the street widening and the streetlight. Planning Commission Minutes -3- April 13, 2011 Mr. Andresen responded that he did not know. He guessed about $150,000. Mr. James said he has not evaluated the costs and therefore could not estimate at this time. Chairman Munoz opened the public hearing. John Gull, 2 Gooseneck Drive said he lost his home to fire in 2003. He said it was never an issue of access; the Fire Department was given carte blanche to stage their equipment at his property. He said the winds grew to 60 mph and said in those conditions, he did not believe the suggested buffer would do anything. He said the turnaround for equipment would not be improved by this widening. He said his home burned down because the Fire Department left the scene, they thought the fire was out. He said it was not because of access. He said one more turnaround will make no difference. He maintained that the burden of widening of Almond Street is not needed for one single family residence and it could negatively affect the flood control channel. He mentioned that he would like FEMA's response to this. He said it could have a negative affect in that it would create more traffic onto Gooseneck Drive and attract negative traffic flow. He said there is no basis for the • required streetlight. He said there are currently no streetlights above Amethyst Estates. He said he does not want more light pollution and there is not safety issue as the equestrian trail is only used during daylight hours and is not a hiking trail. He said by forcing the widening of the street, a greater issue such as a bottleneck could be created on their private road or at the southern portion of Amethyst. He noted his request for signage or a private gate. He mentioned the potential issue of groundwater pollution with a septic system. He mentioned the negative impact of tennis court lighting and asked for shielded lighting. He asked for signage prohibiting construction parking. He gave the secretary a signed petition to remove the condition for the streetlight. He said all the • neighbors signed it except Sandy Davis. Chairman Munoz closed the public hearing. Mr. Andresen expressed no desire to rebut. Commissioner Fletcher asked if the same issues occurred on Snowdrop. He asked if that road was widened. • Chief Bell said there is an ongoing issue with a HOA. He said they are working on an agreement with the County to create an assessment district. He said one stipulation is any developer there has to sign the agreement and if it is not successful they will be responsible to improve the road in front of their homes. Commissioner Fletcher noted that with respect to the Almond Street access in a wildfire, the entrance to Gooseneck is so narrow that it seems barely passable and it seems to be a one-car lane. Chief Bell said the Fire District recognizes that it is an incremental improvement to the situation there. Commissioner Oaxaca asked if there are any streetlights on Gooseneck. An unknown respondent replied 'no.' Chairman Munoz directed the questioning to staff. Commissioner Oaxaca suggested the width of Gooseneck seems wider than Almond Street. Mr. James said that is inconclusive at this time. Planning Commission Minutes -4- . April 13, 2011 • Chairman Munoz asked if there is ample separation from the tennis court by Code. • Mr. van der Zwaag said the code requires 5 feet and as proposed is 60 feet from the property line and 200 feet from the horses. He said the issue is more about the noise of tennis balls and them flying onto the property. Chairman Munoz asked staff to talk about the concern regarding the septic system. • Mr. van der Zwaag said the water table only 6-8 feet below ground on the property. He said there is a condition that if they cannot get the permit and have the County install the system, then they will have to connect to City sewer system. Owner will have to prove to city that they can install septic without polluting the groundwater or they will have to pay to connect to the City sewer. He said there is also a water line near where the septic system would go. He said they will also have to deal with that easement with CVWD on that. • Commissioner Wimberly asked if the Davis' had concerns for people on the horse trail or tennis court or their horses. Mr. van der Zwaag said that the Davis' basically operate as a commercial stable and there is lots of activity there. He said the applicant will shield the lights and they are putting up screen walls for the balls. He said the light standards will be a maximum height of 12 feet and sheilded and the likelihood of light spreading to the neighboring properties is unlikely. Chairman Munoz asked for closing comments. Commissioner Fletcher said that no one seems to object to the actual development, just the ' periphery issues. He said it is quite a complex and he could understand why it took so long. He said the neighbors concerns about the tennis courts is not viable as it would be tough to hit the ball that far. He said if the horses can deal with traffic up there generated by the tractor on the property, then a tennis game should not be a problem. He said he had a concern that property owner would have to pay for the road and streetlight. He said the applicant is not objecting and they agreed to the condition although he did not personally feel the widening would help in that the 2003 fire was not defensible. He said that since the applicant agreed to widen the road, it could benefit the fire service. 'He said he did not think there would be an increase of traffic onto Gooseneck and if the residents want a gate and signage, then the residents should bare that expense. He said the concern about the septic system will go through the approval process. He mentioned that there are high efficiency septic systems now. He said if the residents don't want the streetlight and it is not a concern for the Fire District, and not a concern for staff, then he does not have a problem with striking the condition. He said most streetlights have a low impact hue and are not intrusive. Commissioner Wimberly concurred with Commissioner Fletcher. He said he worked with the . applicant at DRC and the applicant worked diligently with staff. He said they took care of the environment and they made the project eco friendly. He said they got approvals for all their improvements which required them to jump through hoops with 2-3 districts. He said the home has beautiful architecture and engineering. He said he looks forward to seeing it completed. Commissioner Oaxaca concurred noting that everyone was silent on the structure and its location. . He said a lot of thought and work went into creating this. He said it is acceptable to the local environment and to the other residents. He said it is also the responsibility of the Commission to support a project that will allow the applicant to coexist with their neighbors; that is what neighborhoods are about. He said he is concerned with some aspects such as the requirement for certain standard conditions. He said he did not see this as a standard situation. He said he knows about the idea of enjoying views without additional lighting and he was not hearing an overwhelming sense of need for the streetlight. He said he is also concerned with Chief Bell's comments about the Planning Commission Minutes -5- April 13, 2011 widening of Almond Street to be a piecemeal improvement and does it fit or lead into the larger set of improvements that we would all want in an ideal situation for fire and life safety. He said he was • not in favor of the streetlight requirement. Chairman Munoz noted that Commissioner Fletcher captured most of his thoughts. He said he did not see the need for the light. He pointed out that he is sensitive to residents with their experience with fire but he wanted to go on record that he places great stock in the Fire District professionals. He pointed out that although he has watched a fire but he is not qualified to fight one. He said he is . not convinced that the widening of the road will attract traffic in that this development is way off the beaten path. He said he would support waiving the condition requiring the light, but he supports the recommendation of the fire professionals and this may provide more of a barrier in some cases. He said he worked with Mr. Andresen at DRC and he mitigated the project well. He said they will build on about 3 acres out of 12. He said we try to minimize grading, make sure the architecture mitigates the grading and that the project works well with the environment. Commissioner Oaxaca moved to approve the project but remove the streetlight requirement. Mr. James said the applicant conditions are Engineering Condition 1-b and Condition k-2. Motion: Moved by Oaxaca, seconded by Wimberly, to adopt the Resolution of Approval for Hillside Design Review DRC2008-01012 as amended with the removal of the condition requiring the installation of the streetlight. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: FLETCHER, MUNOZ, OAXACA, WIMBERLY NOES: NONE ABSENT: HOWDYSHELL - carried wxwr. • PUBLIC COMMENTS • • None COMMISSION BUSINESS AND COMMENTS Commissioner Fletcher commented that the widening of Almond Street will not make a difference in traffic, but it will be beneficial to the residents. He said it will be a good staging area for the Fire Department for public safety and that makes some sense. He said they got rid of a light no one seems to want. Commissioner Wimberly said that one light would not block their views. He said the Commission moved it forward without it but he had a concern that this was an issue in this hearing. Chairman Munoz expressed his thanks to the applicants and for the future neighbors' comments. He said if they have any future safety related issues, the Commission is,here to listen. ADJOURNMENT Motion: Moved by Fletcher, seconded by Wimberly, carried 4-0-1 (Howdyshell absent),to adjourn. The Planning Commission adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Planning Commission Minutes -6- April 13, 2011 Respectfully submitted, jjII J es R. Troyer,'AICI' cretary Approved: April 27, 2011 1 Planning Commission Minutes -7- April 13, 2011