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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 NOVEMBER 10 2020 PC MINUTES MINUTES ITEM #1 VIDEO CONFERENCING TUSTIN PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING NOVEMBER 10, 2020 Mason "During the Statewide COVID-19 Emergency, the public is not permitted to convene in person for this public meeting. However, the public may still view and comment on the meeting as follows.": Mason To watch the meeting, the public may observe the meeting via the City's Granicus service at nttps://www.tustinca.org/282/Meetings-Agendas or on local Cox Channel 851. Mason To comment on one or more items, you may send your comments to Plan ningCommission(a)tustinca.org or by accessing the City's "SpeakUp" comment system as follows: 6:02 p.m. CALL TO ORDER. Given. INVOCATION: Kozak All present. ROLL CALL: Chair Mason Chair Pro Tem Kozak Commissioners Chu, Gallagher, Jha West Matt West, City Manager, announced Justina L. Willkom's appointment to the Community Development Director role. Willkom Willkom thanked everyone for their support in her newly appointed role. None. PUBLIC CONCERNS: CONSENT CALENDAR: Approved the 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — OCTOBER 13, 2020 Minutes of the October 13, 2020 Planning Commission meeting. RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission approve the Minutes of the October 13, 2020 Planning Commission meeting, as provided. Minutes—Planning Commission November 10, 2020—Page 1 of 5 Motion: It was moved by Gallagher, seconded by Kozak, to approve the October 13, 2020 Planning Commission meeting minutes. Motion carried 5-0. None. PUBLIC HEARING. REGULAR BUSINESS: Approved the 2. TUSTIN HISTORIC REGISTER NOMINATION — KIDD HOUSE — 124 nomination of NORTH B STREET 124 North 8 Street to the City's Historic Register Plaque Program. RECOMMENDATION: That the Planning Commission approve the nomination of 124 North B Street to the City's Historic Register Plaque Program and select "Kidd House - 1940" as the most appropriate historical name and date of construction of the property. Dove Presentation given. Commission The Commission made favorable comments to Dove for her presentation, as well as to the property owners for their beautiful home and the history regarding the home. Motion: It was moved by Chu, seconded by Jha, to approve the nomination of 124 North B Street to the City's Historic Register Plaque Program. 3. 6t" CYCLE HOUSING ELEMENT UPDATE — STATUS AND OVERVIEW The City of Tustin Housing Element is a State-mandated policy document within the Tustin General Plan that provides direction for the implementation of various programs to meet existing and projected future housing needs within the City of Tustin. The Housing Element details the City's strategy for enhancing and preserving the community's character, identifies strategies for expanding housing opportunities and services for all household types and income groups, and provides the primary policy guidance for local decision-making related to housing. Staff will be presenting an initial briefing and overview of the Housing Element Update. Demkowicz Presentation given. Minutes—Planning Commission November 10, 2020—Page 2 of 5 Willkom Willkom added the following comments, in general: staff has a lot of work ahead in order to move forward with the Housing Element Update; the goal of tonight's presentation was to give the Commission an overview of the process; there will be a community roundtable (via virtual setting) in order to be transparent and to engage the public in prioritizing housing needs and goals; there will be a webpage dedicated for Housing Element Update and the public is invited to check City progress and upcoming workshops and meeting schedule; Ms. Demkowicz sent notices to over 80 various non- profit organizations to gain community participation; and staff will be updating the Commission on the process regularly. Chu Chu's comments/questions generally included: she requested an update on the letter sent to the County regarding the RHNA numbers; she asked what the likelihood of the numbers being reduced would be; Chu asked Demkowicz to elaborate on the types of grant/funding program the City is qualified for; and she asked about hotels and motels as possible housing options. Willkom Per Chu's question regarding the RHNA numbers, Willkom explained that the City currently has approximately 6,765 allocated housing units and the City has filed for an appeal in order to get the RHNA allocation numbers reduced. The appeal hearings should happen in December 2020, with a response hopefully in February 2021. Per Willkom, it is difficult to predict the likelihood of the numbers being reduced and that 17 out of the 34 of the Orange County jurisdictions filed for appeals, which does not mean the numbers will go away. Many of the numbers, whether or not the appeal is successful, will need to be redistributed back to the cities within the State, with the exception if the State is willing to reduce the Statewide overall numbers. Demkowicz Demkowicz indicated that by having a certified housing element, the City would be eligible for State's grant funding or programs the City would like to take advantage of. The Housing Element would then be a catalyst if the City wants to apply for a grant or other monetary solutions to be used for the Housing Element Program. Willkom In addition to Demkowicz's comments, Willkom stated that the City is currently receiving the S132 Grant monies from the State and are using that funding to assist the City with the Housing Element Update. To be eligible for many of the State's grant programs, a compliant Housing Element is required. In response to Chu's question regarding hotels/motels as an option for housing, Willkom added that one of the tasks is to identify sites to accommodate the allocation. Many of those sites could be vacant sites, or sites where the density/zoning could be increased, or possibly hotels/motels being converted into affordable housing. Staff still needs to go through the process of identifying these items and determine whether or Minutes—Planning Commission November 10, 2020—Page 3 of 5 not they are feasible, as well as whether or not there is support from the community, the Commission and the City Council. Mason Mason asked if the Commission would be making an assessment prior to submitting the Housing Element; tonight's overview would help assist the Commission with potential solutions along with the submission on these types of items. Willkom Willkom stated that tonight's presentation is an overview of the Housing Element Update process. Staff will be returning to the Commission in early 2021 , after the City has gathered information from the community. At that time, staff will provide an outline to the Commission with potential sites, programs, goals and objectives. The Commission can assess and provide input before staff submits the draft Housing Element to the State. Gallagher Gallagher commended staff for the work involved in this great task, but he asked if the City considered hiring an outside company who specializes in this type of work and who could provide innovative ideas as to what other cities are doing. He asked if the City has a consultant to augment City staff. Gallagher voiced his concern with the process and identified adding density, housing (ADU's) and the potential of the public being upset when they start to see these actions being implemented. Gallagher asked that staff be very cognizant, since it is a very complex issue, and difficult for a lay person to see that the City is not creating this problem but trying to solve it. Staff needs to communicate to the public that the City is not trying to add more housing but trying to control it. Gallagher could see that being a potential issue down the road. He also added that the City has to be careful how we support housing because staff mentioned the ADU's being part of the solution, but staff should try not to rely so heavily on the ADU's because that is what will cause the parking issues. The City is fortunate to protect the character of Tustin, so he mentioned the Pacific Center East being a potential site, where there is no housing (i.e. add overlay, units) or another opportunity would be the Tustin train station industrial area. Another area to be creative could be the Tustin Market Place. He mentioned the Flexibility No Net Loss clause. Willkom In response to Gallagher's previous comment, Willkom stated that the City currently has a consultant assisting with the Housing Element Update, Lucy Yeager. The City also has a collaboration team with other cities, in order to help each other out since housing issues are common among Orange County cities. Reekstin Reekstin added that since so many cities are also working on the Housing Element, some cities are not getting many responses to their Request for Proposals and that some cities are having to do their own Housing Element since there are no consultants available or they are not bidding on these types of projects. Minutes—Planning Commission November 10, 2020—Page 4 of 5 Jha Jha asked what was in the pipeline to address the allocation (i.e. Tustin Legacy, RHASP, DCCSP). Willkom Willkom stated that as of now, staff has included the specific plan areas, but that does not mean staff cannot look at other areas within the City's jurisdiction (i.e. potential mixed-use sites). Again, this is the beginning of the process and staff will look into all of these sites to determine if they are feasible and can be part of the potential RHNA residential sites to achieve the numbers that have been allocated to the City. Kozak Kozak emphasized the importance of community outreach for the development of the Housing Element as well as obtaining as much input as possible so that the process can move forward. Mason Mason mentioned innovations taking place throughout California. She encouraged staff to look beyond Orange County and possibly the bay area since the density is a lot higher there. This is a learning opportunity for the City to be innovative and creative in order to lead in the area. STAFF CONCERNS: Willkom Willkom reminded the Commission of the upcoming Mayor's State of the City on November 19, 2020 (virtual event). COMMISSION CONCERNS: Chu None. Gallagher None. Jha None. Kozak Kozak attended the following: 10/14: Urban Land Institute meeting (virtual) 10/20: OCTA Citizens Advisory Committee meeting (virtual) 10/21: CPF Awards Ceremony 10/22: PDAOC Planning in 2020 (Three-Part Series —virtual) 10/29: PDAOC Part 2 11/5- PDAOC Part 3 Mason Mason congratulated Willkom on her newly appointed position as the Community Development Director. 7:05 p.m. ADJOURNMENT: The next regular meeting of the Planning Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, 2020. Minutes—Planning Commission November 10, 2020—Page 5 of 5