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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002/10/09 - Minutes - PC-HPC CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES Regular Meeting October 9, 2002 Chairman McNiel 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 Chamber at Rancho Cucamonga Civic Center, 10500 Civic Center Drive, Rancho Cucamonga, California. Chairman McNiel then led in the pledge of allegiance. ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS: PRESENT: Rich Macias, John Mannerino, Larry McNiel, Pam Stewart, Peter Tolstoy ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Brad Buller, City Planner, Kirt Coury, Associate Planner; Kevin Ennis, Assistant City Attorney; Douglas Fenn, Associate Planner; Rick Fisher, Contract Planner; Donald Granger, Assistant Planner; Larry Henderson, Principal Planner, Dan James, Senior Civil Engineer, Gail Sanchez,Planning Commission Secretary; Emily Wimer, Assistant Planner ' ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT DRC2002-00479 — WENDY'S RESTAURANT INTERNATIONAL —The development of a 3,251 square foot fast food restaurant with drive-thru lane on 9.22 acres of land in the Community Commercial District (Subarea 2) in the Orchard Supply Shopping Center, located on the north side of Foothill Boulevard between Hellman Avenue and Vineyard Avenue—APN: 208-101-20. Rick Fisher, Contract Planner presented the staff report. Chairman McNiel noted the shopping center has a lot of mature trees. He questioned how many will be removed for the construction of this project. Mr. Fisher replied that three to four will be removed during and construction and will then be replaced. Chairman McNiel observed they are nice, mature trees. He suggested the trees be moved. He opened the public hearing. Nick Rice, Wendy's International, Houston, Texas, stated they would like to look at the cost of relocating the trees. Hearing no further testimony, Chairman McNiel closed the public hearing. Commissioner Tolstoy observed that the current service station is going to be removed in order to make room for parking for this project. He suggested relocating the trees to that area if possible. Brad Buller, City Planner, suggested having the applicant work with the City Planner regarding removal and possible relocation of the trees. He commented that many times trees in parking lots are not easily relocated. Commissioner Tolstoy felt it may be better not to relocate the trees if they do not have a good root system because of the winds in the area. Commissioner Stewart reported that when the project went through the Design Review process, it was conditioned to preserve trees in place wherever possible. Chairman McNiel agreed that would be acceptable. Motion: Moved by Mannerino, seconded by Tolstoy, to issue a Negative Declaration and adopt the resolution approving Conditional Use Permit DRC2002-00479 with a minute request that the applicant work with the City Planner to see if transplanting the trees is feasible. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: MACIAS, MANNERINO, MCNIEL, STEWART, TOLSTOY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried B. PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING/NOTICE OF PREPARATION OF A DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT(EIR) FOR TENTATIVE TRACT MAP NUMBER 16072-CITY OF RANCHO CUCAMONGA- The City of Rancho Cucamonga will be the Lead Agency and will prepare an EIR for Tentative Tract Map SUBTT16072, for the development of 359 detached single-family units with an average lot size of 8,400 square feet located in the northern Etiwanda area of unincorporated San Bernardino County, within the City of Rancho Cucamonga's Sphere of Influence, located at the northeast corner of Etiwanda and Wilson Avenues—APN:225-083-01, 12, 13, 15, 16, 20, and 24. Related File: Development Agreement DRC2002-00156. Larry Henderson, Principal Planner, presented the staff report and reported that correspondence had been received from two residents, the County of San Bernardino, and the California Regional Water Quality Control Board indicating matters they would like to see addressed in the EIR. He stated copies of the letters were in front of the Commissioners and the letters would be forwarded to the consultant preparing the EIR for inclusion in the EIR. Chairman McNiel opened the public hearing. John Schafer, Richland Pinehurst, Inc., 3 Imperial Promenade, Suite 150, Santa Ana, gave a brief history of the project. He indicated his company has acquired property from four different property owners over the last five years. He stated they tried to acquire the property in the southeast corner but have been unsuccessful. He reported that the minimum lot size is 8,400 square feet. Chairman McNiel asked if there is a natural escarpment on the Red Hill fault line. Stan Morse, MDS Consulting, 17320 Redhill Avenue, Suite 350, Irvine, responded there is an escarpment from 2 to 5 feet across the project with a grade difference of 2 to 5 feet. Chairman McNiel asked if it will be graded. Planning Commission Minutes -2- October 9, 2002 Mr. Morse replied that the escarpment will be replaced. He observed they are honoring the fault setback lines by making the area into a linear park. He said they will therefore grade on either side of the fault. Chairman McNiel felt retaining at least a portion of the natural escarpment could be an educational opportunity for school children. Mr. Morse stated they would work with their geologist and take photographs. He said they also take photographs in conjunction with the subsurface trenching. He thought they may be able to put together a nice booklet for the schools. Chairman McNiel questioned the status on the southeast portion of the site,which is not a part of the project. Mr. Morse replied that the owner of the vacant ground is elderly and doesn't want to talk to anyone and they have been unable to find any relatives to discuss the matter. He explained that the project was designed to allow modification to the Tentative Tract Map to include that parcel if they are successful in obtaining it. Chairman McNiel asked the difference between the current County zoning versus the City's zoning under the Sphere-of-Influence. Brad Buller, City Planner, believed the applicant could have approximately twice as many homes under County standards because the County calculations are based on gross acreage and City calculations are based on net acreage. He said staff worked with the developer for some time and believes they are submitting a project very close to City standards. Mr. Schafer said there is split zoning within the City above and below the fault line. He said they are blending the two zones over the entire project. He thought it is about 3 dwelling units per acre south of the fault line and 2 north of the fault line. Commissioner Tolstoy noted it is a large project and he questioned the drainage. Mr. Morse stated a drainage report was submitted to both the County and the City. He said they propose constructing a large concrete interceptor ditch along the north property line and diverting all of the upstream water directly into the Etiwanda spreading grounds, similar to the channel on the north side of the Syntex project. He indicated they propose an interim and an ultimate storm drain system. He stated the interim plan is to detain 90 percent of undeveloped flows onsite until the County completes the throttle down by the freeway. He said there will be interim detention basins within the fault zone and at the southeast comer, similar to the what was done on the Mastercraft project. He observed the County has the funding for the throttle but it is 2 to 3 years off. Chairman McNiel asked how the water would be provided for the houses. Mr. Morse responded that Cucamonga County Water District has two pressure zones with water lines in Etiwanda Avenue and Wilson Avenue and they will extend those lines into the project and loop them and interconnect the two pressure zones as a safety measure. He said there is adequate water pressure. Chairman McNiel asked if it would be sufficient for Fire. Mr. Morse replied affirmatively. Chairman McNiel asked if there is more developable land to the north. Planning Commission Minutes -3- October 9, 2002 Mr. Buller indicted there is one large parcel to the north, which is still under County control. Commissioner Tolstoy asked if any of the area is part of the Flood Control District. Mr. Morse responded negatively. The following residents spoke regarding the project. Roger Lee, 12878 Bermuda Court, Rancho Cucamonga, Walter Risch, 5834 Etiwanda Avenue, Rancho Cucamonga James Clopton, 5527 Sagebrush Court, Rancho Cucamonga Daniel Gregoris, 5579 Carmello Court, Rancho Cucamonga Daniel Enriquez, 5649 Aruba Court, Rancho Cucamonga The residents raised concerns about the following issues to be addressed in the EIR: Infrastructure (particularly lack of schools and lack of sidewalks for children going to school); fire protection services; lack of public parks in the area, as North Etiwanda Creek Park is only partially completed and will not be completed in the near future because of phasing of development; traffic; circulation; and effect on surrounding property values. Concerns were raised regarding the safety of children because some currently use 23rd Street and go through wooded areas to get to school and many play in streets and paseos since the closest park is south of Wilson Avenue. A request was made that Wilson Avenue connect through to the I-15 Freeway prior to any construction. Regarding traffic and circulation, it was pointed out that Etiwanda Avenue is one lane only each way and 600+homes are being developed immediately east of this project. One resident asked that the Planning Commission consider leaving the area as open space or reduce the size of the development to meet some of the concerns, with perhaps a park north of the fault in order to preserve views and some of the historic homes in the area. Hearing no further testimony, Chairman McNiel closed the public hearing. Commissioner Tolstoy indicated his concerns had been covered. Commissioner Stewart observed that the letters submitted raised concerns about electrical service, water service, and fire facilities. She reiterated that the letters would be forwarded to the company preparing the EIR so that the issues could be studied. NEW BUSINESS C. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW DRC2002-00328—KIM B. SNYDER —A request to construct two industrial warehouse buildings, Building "A" (270,544 square feet) and Building "B" (187,760 square feet) for a total of 458,304 square feet on 24.32 acres of land in the General Industrial District (Subarea 14), located south of 6th Street, east and west of Santa Anita Avenue—APN: 229-283-48. Douglas Fenn, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Chairman McNiel invited public comments. Kim Snyder, 319 East Palm Drive, 2nd Floor, Placentia, accepted the conditions and said he was available to answer questions. There were no additional public comments. Planning Commission Minutes -4- October 9, 2002 Chairman McNiel commented that the applicant was very cooperative when the project went through the Design Review process. He felt it will be a good addition to the community. Motion: Moved by Mannerino, seconded by Stewart, to issue a Negative Declaration and adopt the resolution approving Development Review DRC2002-00328. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: MACIAS, MANNERINO, MCNIEL, STEWART, TOLSTOY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried D. DEVELOPMENT REVIEW DRC2002-00322 - ASH - A request to construct a single-family custom home totaling 11,950 square feet in the Very Low Residential District on 3.26 acres of land, located at the terminus of Whirlaway Street and Klusman Avenue—APN: 1061-511-06 and 07. Commissioner Tolstoy excused himself because the property is in close proximity to his home. Emily Wimer, Assistant Planner, presented the staff report. Brad Buller, City Planner, explained that Commissioner Tolstoy excused himself because his home is located one lot away from the project. He observed that the Tolstoy residence is serviced by a water line that runs through the applicant's property and a copy of the easement for that water line was given to the applicant immediately prior to this evening's meeting. He noted that the proposed house appears to straddle the water line easement. Chairman McNiel invited public comment. Jesse Ash, 874 Windmere, San Dimas, stated he purchased the lot to build a beautiful house and just now found out that he will have to deal with the easement. Mr. Buller suggested addition of a condition that no grading or building permit be issued until the City receives written notice from any easement holders that the rights specified by the easements are preserved or modified to the satisfaction of the easement holders. He observed that the applicant is required to deal with the easement and said the applicant understands his obligation. Chairman McNiel indicated that the problem needs to be resolved. Mr. Ash said he understood. There were no additional public comments. Commissioner Mannerino noted that addressing the easement is a matter of the law. He felt the proposed house is phenomenal. Chairman McNiel commended the design team. Motion: Moved by Mannerino, seconded by Stewart to adopt the resolution approving Development Review DRC2002-00322 with a modification to require written notice from any easement holders that the easement rights are preserved or modified. Motion carried by the following vote: AYES: MACIAS, MANNERINO, MCNIEL, STEWART NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE ABSTAIN: TOLSTOY - carried Planning Commission Minutes -5- October 9, 2002 E. CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENT CODE AMENDMENT-MUIRFIELD PROPERTIES-A request to initiate an amendment to allow mixed use public storage as a conditionally permitted use within the Regional Related Commercial District (Foothill Boulevard Subarea 4), located east of the 1-15 Freeway. Kirt Coury, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Chairman McNiel asked if any plans had been submitted. Mr. Coury responded negatively. Chairman McNiel asked if there had been any indication as to what part of the building was proposed to be used for public storage. Mr. Coury replied that approximately 2/3 of the rear was proposed for storage. Brad Buller, City Planner, indicated that the purpose of tonight's meeting was to allow an amendment to be processed upon submission of an application and fees. He reported the City has been working with the owners of Foothill Marketplace and Costco. He said it is very difficult to lease a building this large to one tenant. He noted the space is very deep and he felt permitting public storage in the back would encourage building utilization. He noted the parcel across from the Sycamore Inn has the same concept, whereby a mini-storage facility is in the back with shops in the fronton a deep parcel. He stated the amendment would not be precise as to the floor area. Chairman McNiel invited public comment. Lou Miramontes, Muirfield Properties, Inc. 3636 Birch Street, Suite 200, Newport Beach, stated the building is approximately 136,000 square feet and they anticipate having approximately 80,000 square feet of retail with 55,000 to 65,000 square feet of self-storage. He said they envision three or four entrances with three or four tenants instead of the singe instead of the single major front entrance currently there. Chairman McNiel asked if any tenants have been secured. Mr. Miramontes replied they are currently marketing the building. There were no additional public comments. Commissioner Mannerino noted that the storage on Foothill Boulevard is adjacent to property that he owns. He felt providing public storage encourages people to comply with the RV storage regulations. He supported the amendment and noted such uses have little traffic. Commissioner Tolstoy welcomed the addition. Commissioner Stewart was concerned regarding revenue generation as it would be a loss of retail space. Commissioner Macias agreed with Commissioner Stewart. Motion: Moved by Mannerino, seconded by Tolstoy to direct staff to initiate an amendment to allow mixed use public storage as a conditionally permitted use within the Regional Related Commercial District following submission of an application and appropriate fees. Motion carried by the following vote: Planning Commission Minutes -6- October 9, 2002 AYES: MACIAS, MANNERINO, MCNIEL, STEWART, TOLSTOY NOES: NONE ABSENT: NONE - carried PUBLIC COMMENTS Laura Gates, 11442 Lomello Way, questioned when the Milliken Avenue onramp to the 210 freeway will open. Chairman McNiel responded that the opening was pushed back to November. Dave Smith, 9720 Brilliant Lane, Rancho Cucamonga, stated he is a teacher at Los Osos High School. He asked when Wilson Avenue will be completed behind Los Osos to Banyan Street. He expressed concems regarding the amount of traffic on Banyan Street and he feared Wilson Avenue may not be completed because of the gnatcatcher. Brad Buller, City Planner, stated that when the school was being processed, the City asked the School District to address access to the school. He said the City advised the School District there would be problems if Milliken did not connect Wilson Avenue. He indicated the School District was reluctant but eventually agreed to provide that connection. Mr. Buller said plans call for connecting Wilson Avenue to Milliken Avenue in 2003. He acknowledged environmental issues have held up construction of various projects. Commissioner Tolstoy noted a bridge currently crosses the creek at Wilson Avenue. COMMISSION BUSINESS There was no Commission business at this time. ADJOURNMENT Motion: The Planning Commission adjourned at 8:13 p.m. to a workshop. The workshop adjourned at 8:52 p.m. and those minutes appear separately. Respectfully submitted, ..cor VBra� ��� er = S- etary Planning Commission Minutes -7- October 9, 2002