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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPC Minutes 07-28-09SPECIAL MEETING TOUR OF THE IRVINE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX-TUSTIN AND JAMBOREE PLAZA LEFT CITY HALL AT 5:10 P.M. MINUTES REGULAR MEETING TUSTIN PLANNING COMMISSION JULY 28, 2009 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER Given INVOCATION/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL: Present: Chair Puckett Chair Pro Tem Kozak Commissioners Kasalek, Murray, Thompson Given PRESENTATION: Status of Assembly Bi1132 and Senate Bill 375 Murray Asked if there is any good news. Director Responded that it will be interesting to see what is determined by the peer review; there may be a benefit with these regulations; the question is at what cost. Murray Suggested there have been no funding measures introduced to assist cities in implementing these changes. Director Stated that was correct. Thompson Added that he attended an OCTA Committee meeting during which the state was considering a fee or tax that would help fund these measures. Requested that the presentation that was given by the Director this evening be sent to the Commissioners as a helpful, high-level resource as they participate in other committee meetings. Referred to the targets that will be community wide and what might be asked or required. Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 1 Director Responded that those would be projects that have been identified in the Housing Element or within the strategy that meets one of the targets. Thompson Asked for clarification of what a target might be. Director Answered any project included in a sustainable community strategy or within an RTP that meets one of the requirements or has been considered in a larger environmental impact report. Thompson Asked for a specific example. Director Stated a higher density development, mixed use development, development located close to a rail station, etc. Thompson Asked if The Legacy project will be affected by this new law. Director Answered in the negative. Thompson Referred to the costs shown in the presentation; and, asked if these costs were additive or an analogy comparison. Director Stated those costs are individual. Thompson Suggested then that calculating the impact would require adding all those costs together, resulting in a very big number. Added that conservation and protection of the environment are great; however, this draconian approach is wrong; the state legislature mandating this is enacting a double standard; the state has stripped away funds from the cities and counties, yet mandates these added requirements; this approach will surely keep California in recession longer that other states. Murray Asked if these new laws will apply to redevelopment. Director Answered in the affirmative. Kasalek Stated her agreement with Commissioner Thompson's remarks. Kozak Thanked the Director for the presentation; it is clear that the philosophy behind these measures is flawed; the cost figures are phenomenal, especially given the reality that the state cannot even pass a budget on time; the state taking over land use control for 58 counties in the state seems incomprehensible; the more control is centralized and local control removed, the more disjointed the decision-making process becomes; this is the wrong thing at the wrong time and is very troubling. Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 2 Kozak continued Agreed that sharing this information with the Planning Commissioners via a-mail would be useful. None PUBLIC CONCERNS CONSENT CALENDAR Approved 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES -JULY 14, 2009, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. It was moved by Murray, seconded by Thompson, to approve the Consent Calendar. Motion carried 4-0. Kozak abstained. None PUBLIC HEARINGS REGULAR BUSINESS Provided direction 2. FOLLOW-UP DISCUSSION to staff TOUR THE IRVINE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX-TUSTIN AND JAMBOREE PLAZA: The discussion also provides a forum for the Commission to generally discuss the tour and to make recommendations for future tours. RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission receive this report and provide direction to staff. Commissioners Thanked staff for a useful and informative tour. Murray Asked what the next tour might be. Director Indicated that a walk through a park in Tustin Ranch is being planned and coordinated with the Parks & Recreation and Public works Departments for a meeting in September. Provided direction 3. TUSTIN HISTORIC REGISTER PLAQUE PROGRAM to staff; criteria CRITERIA will be modified and brought back The Tustin City council approved the implementation of the to Commission Tustin Historic Register Plaque Program and established program criteria on March 20, 2000. The program criteria require that the plaque display the construction date, the words "Tustin Historic Register," and approved supplemental text. No specific criteria were established for the supplemental text. Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 3 RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission establish criteria for the historical property names placed on plaques obtained through the City's Historic Register Plaque Program. Reekstin Presented the staff report. Murray Asked if this was a model policy consistent with similar historical districts. Reekstin Indicated that he had done research to find guidance at the state or federal level but found nothing specific. Thompson Stated that members from the Tustin Preservation Conservancy were in the audience and perhaps wished to provide input. Linda Jennings, Noted that when the original historical resource commission known as 6350 South B the Cultural Resource Advisory Committee (CRAG) designed the Street, Tustin plaque program, it was suggested that if no names were known for the house an architectural type such as Italianate-Victorian or California Craftsman could be considered; using the current owner's name would rarely be appropriate; there are a few exceptions: the Pankey House; Jeff Thompson's house which was appropriate since he and his wife saved that house from demolition; the Lindsay House; and the Patton House all seem appropriate. Suggested that the brochure and the map regarding the plaque program are out of date; several structures that have plaques are not represented on the brochure; the Conservancy has expressed an interest in reprinting the map; if the Commission so desires, she would be happy to take that to the Board for approval. Thompson Commented that the memorandum highlights many of the issues that needed clarity; this should be used as a handout for individuals who apply for a plaque; perhaps subtitles could be added to the bullets; perhaps there could be a cautionary statement included regarding personal bias regarding a name that does not have historical relevance; no one is prevented from putting a plaque on a house; however, being in the historical program is a special overlay and recognition; the word "deviate" in the last bullet might be a concern; the policy needs flexibility but also rigidity; this program is intended to memorialize history and should not change it; it celebrates important contributions to history. Murray Stated that staff is to be commended for the report; a standardized naming convention regarding something of historical significance is important; the Planning Commission needs to provide consistency Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 4 and context and to provide common sense and good judgment related to this program; exceptions should be handled very carefully; the ~ program information should be added to the City's website. Kasalek Stated that, since the Conservancy is willing to update the map, the Planning Commission should consider giving them permission to do so; there should be a strong preference given to the historical value, but the Planning Commission should have some flexibility. Kozak Offered his compliments to staff; it is important to preserve and reinforce the historical integrity of Old Town Tustin properties, whether they be commercial or residential; the issues and concerns have been identified; perhaps the bullets should include the hierarchy for the naming convention; all the materials should be made available on the City's website so that when suggestions are made they are coming from a common source of guidelines; perhaps the last bullet should be deleted; it is implicit in the guidelines that the applicants and the Commission have discretion; memorializing words like deviate is not a good idea. Asked if the second bullet from the top refers to all applicable properties. Reekstin Stated that it would apply to all properties. Kozak Asked that the statement be clarified; and, stated his full support for providing this information with the application. Asked his fellow Commissioners if this criteria should be reworked and brought back to the Commission for review. Thompson Answered in the affirmative; and, suggested enumerating the various suggestions that have been made this evening. Puckett Stated his agreement with Commissioner Kasalek that the last bullet should be retained. Kasalek Questioned what is commonly done on other guidelines. Director Indicated that most guidelines do not come before the Planning Commission but are more commonly approved at the staff level; if it were a zoning standard, it would be considered a variance that would come before the Commission for a finding process. Kasalek Asked if something is generally written in the staff guidelines. Director Stated as an example there are landscape and parking lot guidelines; a project may require a landscape finger every five parking stalls; the Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 5 reason that has been a guideline is that maybe it would not make sense to provide that finger every five stalls; perhaps it would be better to have one every three or seven; the goal is to disperse the landscape throughout the parking lot area; that is why criteria guidelines are created; when there is no particular hard and fast rule, such as the Old Town plaques; when there is such a variety of situations, guidelines may be a better approach. Murray Suggested that some staff rewording could accomplish the result the Commissioners are requesting. Director Answered in the affirmative, adding that staff can look at the various guidelines to determine whether or not there might be applicable language. Murray Reiterated it is important to do the best we can regarding historical significance. Thompson Indicated that he agreed with the thoughts above; perhaps the compromise would be to delete the second sentence in the last bullet which allows provision to request an alternate name but not use the word deviation that could imply none of the above. Kozak Suggested that somewhere at the beginning a statement could be made in the form of a goal or objective of the Commission throughout this program to preserve and reinforce the historical integrity of Old Town properties; at the end of the guidelines, a statement can be made that the Planning Commission in its application of these guidelines shall exercise due discretion consistent with the goals and objectives of the guidelines. Puckett Stated that he was comfortable with Commissioner Kozak's suggestion and also comfortable that staff has heard the discussion and can provide the language to achieve the goals expressed above. Asked if further action was required by the Commission. Director Replied that staff will bring the item back to the Commission as a Consent item. STAFF CONCERNS 4. REPORT OF ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE JULY 21, 2009, CITY COUNCIL MEETING. Director Indicated she would be happy to answer any questions the Commission may have. Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 6 Kasalek Asked for further clarification of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program referred to on pages 2 and 3 of the Action Agenda that refers to the Proactive Methamphetamine Task Force (PROACT). Director Answered that refers to the local law enforcement block grant funds that the Police Department requests on an annual basis; staff does not have specifics of the Task Force function. COMMISSION CONCERNS Thompson Reported that last week he completed his two years as the Chairman for the Orange County Transportation Authority Citizens Advisory Committee and was honored with a resolution of appreciation that included a photo op with Mayor Pro Tem Amante and Mayor Caveche of Orange; he will continue to serve on the committee. Stated that he and his family celebrated agreat-nephew's birthday at Pioneer Park; this is a small but very kid-friendly park; in context with future tours, perhaps it would be advantageous to see a big park and a little park; kudos to the Parks and Recreation Department for maintaining Tustin's parks. Murray Indicated he attended his first meeting as a trustee for the Vector Control District Board on July 16tH and also participated in a ride-along with one of the inspectors; based on his first exposure, he believes the County is in good shape regarding vector control; one positive report was that the West Nile virus is at its lowest since 2003. Noted that Tim Serlet, Director of Public Works, is retiring and wished him the best. Stated that Mayor Pro Tem Amante is now the President of the Orange County League of Cities; perhaps folks saw him on the front page with other representatives of Orange County, making their feelings known about some of the tax concerns resulting from the state's actions. Reminded everyone that the Tustin Area Senior Center is celebrating its 20tH anniversary August 10tH, the Chamber will hold a members' reception on August 27tH, the Marconi Museum will have its 15tH anniversary on August 15tH, and the Curtain Call Theater is under new management and everyone should revisit that venue. Kasalek Offered congratulations to Councilmember Nielsen's son who recently attained Eagle Scout rank. Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 7 Kasalek continued Stated she will not be able to attend the Senior Center celebration as she will be attending her brother's wedding in the Cayman Islands at that time. Stated that we are very fortunate in Tustin for the dedication and leadership of our elected and appointed officials who serve not only in Tustin but also at county and state levels in capacities that prove they care beyond the small focus of our City. Kozak Apologized for missing the last Planning Commission meeting. Offered congratulations to Councilmember Palmer: Supervisor Campbell has re-appointed him to the County Housing & Community Development Committee. Added his congratulations to Commissioner Murray for his appointment to the Vector Control Board. Noted that the Broadway in the Park production of Anything Goes takes place August 18-22 as presented by the Tustin Area Fine Arts Council. Thanked staff for this evening's tour which was very educational and helps the Commission to gain a broader perspective of Tustin. Stated he enjoyed the Rocket Scientists at the last Peppertree Park concert. Added his congratulations to Tim Serlet on his retirement as the Director of Public Works; and, noted Chief Deputy City Clerk Maria Huizar is leaving Tustin to become the City Clerk of Santa Ana. Asked for staff to provide an update at a future meeting regarding the former Valero station and the oil change shop on First Street. Indicated that the Tustin Chamber of Commerce will hold the first ribbon cutting August 18 at Prospect Village which will be hosted by Marc Weisberg Photography Studio. Noted there will be a Barr Homes ribbon cutting Tuesday, August 15, at 17802 Irvine Boulevard. Puckett Added his congratulations to Dane Nielsen; as an Eagle Scout himself, Commission Puckett knows that only approximately two percent reach that rank. Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 8 Puckett continued Commented that the Community Services Department is doing a tremendous job providing Movies in the Park; there is schedule available in the newspaper of upcoming movies coming to a park near you. Noted that he has been attending the Concerts in the Park; it is wonderful to see all the people picnicking and having a great time at these concerts. Stated he will be attending the Senior Center anniversary celebration; this is quite a tribute to what a city can accomplish when a need is identified and steps are taken to address that need. Complimented Altha Gardner who still volunteers at the Senior Center; she has been there since it started, is 96 years old, and still bowls. Closed the meeting in honor Tim Serlet. 8:24 p.m. ADJOURNMENT The next regular meeting of the Planning Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at 300 Centennial Way. ~..~ Charles E. Puckett Chairperson ~^ Elizabeth A. Binsack Planning Commission Secretary Minutes -Planning Commission July 28, 2009 -Page 9