Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout03 PC ACTION AGENDA 03-06-07 AGENDA REPORT Agenda Item Reviewed: City Manager 3 ~ Finance Director N/A MEETING DATE: MARCH 6,2007 TO: WILLIAM A. HUSTON, CITY MANAGER FROM: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SUBJECT: PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION AGENDA 7:00 p.m. ACTION AGENDA REGULAR MEETING TUSTIN PLANNING COMMISSION FEBRUARY 26, 2007 CALL TO ORDER Given PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL Present: Chair Floyd Chair Pro Tem Puckett Commissioner Kozak, Lee, and Nielsen Staff present Elizabeth Binsack, Community Development Director Jason Retterer, Deputy City Attorney Dana Ogdon, Assistant Community Development Director Justina Willkom, Senior Planner Chad Ortlieb, Associate Planner Eloise Harris, Recording Secretary None PUBLIC CONCERNS CONSENT CALENDAR Approved 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 12, 2007, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. PUBLIC HEARING Adopted revised Resolution No. 4051 2. CONTINUED APPEAL OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR'S DECISION TO DISALLOW THE USE OF FIBERCEMENT SIDING ON A DETACHED TWO-CAR Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 1 GARAGE WITH SECOND-STORY GAME ROOM THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION ON A PROPERTY IMPROVED WITH AN "A"-RATED DWELLING IN THE CULTURAL RESOURCE OVERLAY DISTRICT. THE PROJECT WAS REQUESTED BY THE APPLICANT AND APPROVED WITH REDWOOD SIDING BY ZONING ADMINISTRATOR ACTION 05-007. THIS PROJECT IS LOCATED AT 200 SOUTH A STREET IN THE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL (R-1) WITH CULTURAL RESOURCE (CR) OVERLAY DISTRICT ZONING DISTRICT. RECOMMENDATION: Pursuant to the Planning Commission's direction at the February 12, 2007, meeting, staff has included Resolution No. 4051 to reverse the Community Development Director's decision disallowing the use of fibercement siding on a detached garage structure approved by Zoning Administrator Action 05-007. None REGULAR BUSINESS STAFF CONCERNS REPORT OF ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE FEBRUARY 20, 2007, CITY COUNCIL MEETING. Director Stated the Assistant Director would comment regarding Hangar 29. Indicated that the City Council asked staff to look at possible opportunities for minimizing impacts on the City's resources specifically relating to City Boards, Commissions, and Committees. City staff researched the issue and made a recommendation to the City Council regarding the Parks & Recreation Commission, the Planning Commission, Historic Resource Commission, and the Tustin Community Foundation. Staff recommended that the Parks & Recreation Commission would serve as a liaison with oversight and/or coordination with various groups within the community, such as the Senior Advisory Board, the Youth & Adult Sports Facilities Association, Tustin Pride, the Tustin Community Foundation, and Special Events Committees. The Commission would also be renamed the Community Services Commission. The Planning Commission would accept the responsibilities of the Historic Resource Committee. Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 2 Director continued The Tustin Community Foundation would accept the responsibilities of the Community Development In-House Citizens' Participation Committee. The Tustin Community Foundation would make a recommendation related to the Public Service Category Projects for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars which are allocated by the City to various community groups. Nielsen Director Nielsen Director Assistant Director The Historic Resource Committee has a work program that is examined annually, which the Planning Commission may now be doing. The Planning Commission may want to look at what the work program would be. The City Council recommended the initiation of an ordinance and proceedings that would include the Planning Commission, the City Council, or the Director; that does not necessarily mean this has happened; there is a process that has to be gone through; public hearings would be held allowing individuals to speak before the Commission and appropriate recommendations made; the City Council requested that the Planning Commission initiate an ordinance that would consolidate that function; staff will be bringing that ordinance to the Commission in March. Asked if the ordinance will include a recommendation to the Council. Answered in the affirmative; and, added that an ordinance is required because these changes are part of the Zoning Code and an amendment will be required; if it were only in the Tustin City Code it would not necessarily come before the Planning Commission. Suggested this seems a conflict of interest and might be better handled at the City Council level. Responded that this is a procedural issue required by law and must come to the Planning Commission first. Stated the former MCAS-Tustin was closed in 1999; because it was a Navy disposal of property action and a community reuse planning effort, the environmental document that was prepared included a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and a California Environment Quality Act (CEQA); that the EIS/EIR identified a worst case scenario which included the potential that the hangars could not be saved; there are two National Registered blimp hangars at the Base; the environmental documents considered the possibility that those hangars could not be saved; the Navy was obligated as part of that effort to identify potential mitigation for the loss of those hangars; the Navy had to negotiate with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, which is the Federal equivalent to the SHPO; Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 3 negotiations also included the County of Orange because the northerly hangar is promised to the County as part of an urban regional park; the City of Tustin participated as the pote,ntial owner of the southerly hangar; the outcome of those negotiations was an agreement that laid out the strategy to market both hangars; the County was to market the northerly hangar and the City the southerly hangar. At the last City Council meeting, a staff report was brought to the Council that reported the marketing effort for the southerly hangar. Four expressions of interest were submitted to the City. Following the guidelines that were included in the Navy's agreement with SHPO and the Advisory Council, the marketing effort was intended to identify whether or not the firms that submitted proposals had the financial resources to rehabilitate the hangar and place a business in the hangar that would be a viable reuse. The businesses had to be able to pay for infrastructure, pay for seismic retrofitting, pay for fire code upgrades, building code upgrades, etc. It has been reported that the Navy's own analysis of the hangar required improvements that ranged between $13 and $26 million just to bring it up to code. The conclusion reached in the City Council staff report found that none of the four proposals was economically viable, and a recommendation was brought to the City Council to reject all four; the Council concurred with staff's recommendation; the Council also authorized the City Manager to enter into an agreement with the Tustin Legacy Partners to lease the hangar and also to begin the effort needed to comply with the Memorandum of Agreement concerning the mitigation that must accomplished. Even though the Council rejected the four proposals, the Council also indicated the desire that at least one of the hangars would be preserved and every effort made to preserve one hangar if possible; the County of Orange has moved forward with one of the proposals that was made to the County for the northerly hangar and is in negotiation on a potential economically viable reuse; nothing will happen immediately to the southerly hangar; it is still undergoing remediation by the Navy and still owned by the Navy; the City is leasing the hangar from the Navy, and it will probably take five years of remediation before the property can be conveyed by deed to the City and subsequently to the Tustin Legacy Community Partners. Floyd Asked what the County is proposing for the reuse of the northerly hangar. Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 4 Assistant Director Puckett Floyd Director Floyd Director Nielsen Indicated the County found that only one proposal to convert the hangar into a commercial recreational use was economically viable; the County asked that the project proposal include or consider including the veterans' proposal as part of any revised project submittal. Stated that he attended the City Council meeting; and, commented that, while the Navy's estimate that it would take at least $13 to $26 million to bring the hangar up to the code, one optimistic applicant thought he could do so for $150,000. Thanked the Assistant Director for his report; and, asked the Director is there was anything further. As an unrelated item, suggested that a tour of The District at The Legacy could be arranged for 5:30 p.m. before the Planning Commission's second meeting in March. Staff will contact the Commissioners tomorrow regarding their availability. Indicated that he has been amazed by how much difference just one month can make in the progress of development at The District; and, added that he read in the newspaper that some of the stores will be opening this June. Noted that the plan is for a soft opening on the i.nitial phases and a rolling on all the remaining phases. COMMISSION CONCERNS Apologized for missing the last Planning Commission meeting. Stated he attended Congressman Campbell's "Coffee Talk" at Peet's Coffee & Tea; it was very well attended; a lot of local residents and others outside of Tustin shared their opinions and suggestions. Indicated he also attended the Grand Opening of Roderick's Restaurant and encouraged everyone to stop in. Noted it was good to see the opening of Chipotle Restaurant where there was a line around the building and into the parking lot, which suggests it will be a successful project. Expressed his sadness at the death of Tom Egan at the Tustin Home Depot and commended the Tustin Police Department for their professional attitude and quick response to the situation. Offered his prayers and condolences go to the Egan family and suggested that the meeting be adjourned in Mr. Egan's memory. Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 5 Lee Added his apologies for missing the last Planning Commission meeting. Stated that the rapid changes in technology and the ability to hide cell towers in ways that make them almost impossible to notice would suggest that making a suggestion to allow for revisions to the Residential Design Guidelines to allow for new products and innovative designs may be the wave of the future. Expressed his condolences to the Egan family and agreed that the meeting should be adjourned in Mr. Egan's memory. Thanked staff for this evening's presentations. Kozak Indicated his thanks and appreciation to Ms. Young for the work she has done to maintain the historic structure, beautify the property, and work to build the new structure in keeping with the spirit and appearance of the Overlay District. Thanked staff for working through the issue with the applicant and the Commission. Stated he looks forward to the proposed workshop regarding possible revisions to the Design Guidelines. Thanked staff for their reports on Council actions. Noted that he, too, was happy to see Chipotle open, particularly due to the improvement that has been brought to that corner. Offered his sympathies to the Egan family for their terrible loss. Puckett Noted that he is looking forward to moving the Planning Commission meetings to Tuesday. Indicated that he also attended the ribbon-cutting at Roderick's; when he moved to Tustin in 1975, that was a Chuck's Steakhouse; this is a very nice restaurant on Red Hill just south of the 1-5 freeway in the Stater Bros. shopping center; the executive chef is from PJ's Abbey. Stated that he was one of the founding members of the Tustin Community Foundation in 1994 which floundered until an Executive Director could be found; that Director left and things have not been going as well; however, once a new Executive Director is found, perhaps within the next month, things will be on track; there is Board with about 15 new members and community leaders committed to getting the Foundation back to making a difference in Tustin. Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 6 Puckett continued Assistant Director Puckett Assistant Director Floyd 7:47 p.m. Asked if there would be any way to organize a tour of one of the hangars. Answered that the chances are not good, but he could perhaps put Commissioner Puckett in touch with the right people. Indicated he would like to go. Suggested that Commissioner Puckett give him a call. Reminded everyone that the Chipotle ribbon-cutting takes place tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Agreed that, per Commissioner Lee's remarks, progress requires change and the City needs to keep up. Shared in the other Commissioners' condolences to the Egan family; the Tustin Police Department is one of the finest in the County but also in the State; as a police volunteer, he knew it would be only a matter of time before the perpetrator would be caught; the Tustin Police Department deserves our congratulations. Asked for a motion to adjourn in Mr. Egan's memory. ADJOURNMENT In Memory of Tom Egan The next regular meeting of the Planning Commission will be held Tuesday, March 13, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at 300 Centennial Way. Action Agenda - Planning Commission 2-26-07 - Page 7