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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 PC Minutes 3-13-06 ITEM #1 PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP 6:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBER MCAS Tustin Specific Plan Amendment (Zone Chanee) 05-002 The City of Tustin and Tustin Legacy Community Partners (TLCP), LLC (a venture of Centex Homes, Shea Homes and Shea Properties) propose Amendments to the MCAS Tustin Specific Plan. The proposed Amendments do not "substantially amend" the Specific Plan. Instead, the proposed Amendments generally adjust Planning Area boundaries and redistribute and/or eliminate planned land uses within the Specific Plan area. The proposed Amendments would not increase the overall development potential or residential capacity currently allowed by the MCAS Tustin Specific Plan. Director Assistant City Manager Director Pontious Assistant City Manager Pontious Assistant City Manager WORKSHOP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Presented an overview of the Specific Plan Amendment (SPA). Presented an overview of the Disposition and Development Agreement (DDA). Recognized Margit Allen (Master Developer), Dana Ogdon (Assistant Community Development Director), and Doug Anderson (Senior Project Manager-Public Works) for their diligence in preparing the SPA documents. Asked if the Design Guidelines are a separate document. Answered that the Design Guidelines are in the Specific Plan but will be much more refined; the City Council asked to see the product definition in more detail; as a precondition to the first deed conveyance in September, the developer must complete the Design Guidelines; the intention is to have a draft submittal in late June or early July for portions of the document; staff will be holding a workshop with the Planning Commission and City Council to present that document; the Guidelines will be adopted as part of the CC&Rs on the Sector B map. Noted that the projects that have come through so far have included the type of architecture that is unique; it is important to continue those standards, particularly in the mixed use area. Indicated that the developer is committed to high standards in the Community Core and has hired a firm, RTKL, who are experts in Workshop - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 1 Floyd Pontious Menard Assistant City Manager Menard Assistant City Manager Menard Assistant City Manager Menard mixed-use developments where the mixed-use integrated product is planned. Stated the Tustin Villages are remarkable; he has received many positive comments from the community. Indicated that staff had a vision when the process started; it is nice to see the vision developing; it is important not to get lost somewhere down the line and lose that vision and positive focus; it is good to know the Planning Commission will be seeing those items as they come through. Asked if would be possible to receive a timeline on the phases of the infrastructure. Answered in the affirmative. Asked if the MOU has been received for the southerly hangar. Indicated that staff is finishing the background analysis; the City has adopted an ordinance that also requires detailed criminal checks on all concession operators; the report will go to the State Office of Historic Preservation before it goes before the City Council; no formal action can be taken until the SHPO and Department of Navy weigh in on the conclusions of that analysis. Stated it has been beneficial to receive the information in advance; and, asked if RTKL could provide a draft version of the Design Guidelines. Answered that RTKL will only be working on the master block; the master developer will be integrating that into the larger document; as staff has that information, it will be provided in a workshop setting; the districts are not uniquely individual; there is a lot of integration relating back to the principle that every street leads to the park and tying the entire community together; when there are different neighborhoods with a different feel, the defining elements will pull everything together; staff wants to present the comprehensive aspects of everything in a draft framework before breaking out individual items; the intention will be to show how the whole fits together. Asked if staff knows the status of the RFP for the northerly hangar. Workshop - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 2 Assistant City Manager Nielsen Assistant City Manager Lee Assistant City Manager Lee Assistant City Answered that the County of Orange went to the two responding agencies that have to review and provide a recommendation to the Department of Navy, the National Park Service, and the State of Office of Historic Preservation; each of those agencies has recommended to the Navy that they do not believe the two proposals submitted by the County-one for the United Veterans and one for the Industrial Realty Group-were economically viable; the Navy has to make a determination as to whether or not the Navy agrees with that conclusion; staff has not received the Navy's response; if the Navy concurs, there will not be a mandatory preservation covenant; the City Council is working cooperatively with the County of Orange to continue to have discussions about working on those proposals that have been submitted to determine how they might be altered to create an economically viable proposal; staff is committed to continuing to work cooperatively with the County to preserve the hangar; the northerly hangar is in much better physical condition than the southerly hangar. Asked who is maintaining the hangars. The northerly hangar is maintained by the Department of Navy; the southerly hangar is in the City's lease with the Navy which makes the City the entity responsible; because of environmental considerations on the southerly hanger, it has been shut down; there are no utilities accessing that site; based upon the surveying that has been done, there are a number of issues that preclude public access to the site; the hangar is kept in a restricted, locked down condition until a decision is made regarding the outcome on that hangar. Asked what type of road is involved in the Tustin Ranch Road extension. Responded that the extension will go over the railroad; a supplemental environmental document regarding the extension was reviewed by the Planning Commission in 2005; the Addendum to the Specific Plan Amendment will include mitigation measures for the residents on the west side of Tustin Ranch Road to ensure those residents will not be negatively impacted; there are additional noise walls that will be constructed; that grade was always planned to be above the residents to the west. Asked if there would be additional crossing arms. Indicated there will be a grade separated interchange. Workshop - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 3 Lee Assistant City Manager Menard Anderson Menard Assistant City Attorney Asked if there is a plan to use the land adjacent to Planning Area 6 to connect the Core Community. Stated that Planning Area 6 is the County Regional Park site; the County has not provided any plans to indicate the development for this site; the Traffic Analysis in the Addendum includes access points for properties on the east and south sides; there is a roadway along the southerly boundary of the Regional Park that will access the southerly boundary to allow properties to the south to be accessed; there is also a road proposed on the west side of the high school site based upon the recommendations of traffic analysis as well as on the south side of the high school all the way to the west boundary of the park, allowing fluid access around each of those development areas; this will also ensure integrated access once .the development programs for the Regional Park are known; staff is striving to maintain flexibility to ensure accessibility. Asked for the status on the Peters Canyon Trail connection from Barranca up to Harvard; there is a disconnect at Harvard; the 1001 home was supposed to trigger the development of bringing in the Peters Canyon Trail to Barranca; multiple developers will be required to do those improvements. Indicated the requirements referred to were an amendment to a County agreement that the City entered into for improvements to the Peters Canyon Channel; the master developer is working with the County of Orange to develop a scope of work for the study of the channel and the improvements associated with modification of that channel to handle all the drainage in the area; as part of that, the City or the master developer will be designing and looking into the bicycle and pedestrian trails more than the equestrian trail which is the County's responsibility; the timing for the draft scope is June or July 2006 and the final before the end of 2006; construction may be one to one and a half years away. Asked if the channel is County property. Indicated the property will be under an amendment to the economic development conveyance that staff is hoping to have completed by the end of this month; the actual right-of-way areas (those portions of the channel within the City's jurisdictional boundary) will be conveyed to the City of Tustin; the areas that are in Irvine that include the extension of the channel were already dedicated responsibilities to Lennar and William Lyon Homes included those conditions in their tracts in Irvine; staff Workshop - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 4 Menard Assistant City Manager Menard Anderson Nielsen Anderson Nielsen Assistant City Manager Homes included those conditions in their tracts in Irvine; staff should have these areas conveyed to the City within the next thirty days; the County easement for flood control purposes will be on top of the land ownership; when the physical improvements are completed under the City's agreement with the County, the right-of-way areas will be conveyed to the County Flood Control District; the 1001 unit threshold applies to a threshold within the master developer footprint only; it does not apply to development occurring on the other sites; the County allowed the City to proceed with development on the other sites because the sites would not dramatically impact the issues associated with hydrology movement into the channels. Asked if everything south of the transit station is exempt. Answered that everything south of the transit station in Irvine related to the 1001 unit for the master developer footprint; based upon the Flood Control District missing a request for land and channel improvements, the District asked the City of Irvine to condition the improvements; Irvine has included those physical improvements in the CFD; it will be financed and constructed in conjunction with the rest of the physical channel improvements. Asked who is doing the design work. Responded that the master developer is the designer. Asked how the Red Hill grade separation will work. Answered that Public Works currently is preparing the preliminary project report for Red Hill; an over-crossing is being considered but the feasibility of going under has not been eliminated; the project is in the preliminary stages; the City is still short on funds; there is funding available for the preliminary design and the environmental work; the timeline suggests three or four years before the necessary funds can be accumulated. Suggested it would be nice to have that completed before further development creates more traffic. Stated that the developer is offering to widen the frontage along Red Hill to create additional capacity; from the Capital Improvement standpoint, Public Works is working very hard on this issue; these projects are now approaching anywhere from $30 to $50 million; the Council will have to prioritize this capital investment in conjunction with their capital programming. Workshop - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 5 Nielsen Thanked everyone for their exceptionally hard work on the Specific Plan Amendments and the forthcoming Addendum. Director Indicated that a staff report will be prepared for the March 27, 2006, meeting; new Specific Plan Amendment binders will not be provided; the Addendum will be provided as soon as it is available. Menard Asked if the PowerPoint show could be e-mailed to him so that he can print it out in color for his own use. Director Responded in the affirmative. Workshop - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 6 7:02 p.m. Given Present Staff present None Approved with one correction MINUTES REGULAR MEETING TUSTIN PLANNING COMMISSION MARCH 13, 2006 CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL John Nielsen, Chair Nathan Menard, Chair Pro Tem Brett Floyd, Commissioner Jim Lee, Commissioner Leslie Pontious, Commissioner Elizabeth Binsack, Community Development Director Jason Retterer, Deputy City Attorney Dana Ogdon, Assistant Community Development Director Eloise Harris, Recording Secretary PUBLIC CONCERNS CONSENT CALENDAR 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - FEBRUARY 13, 2006, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING. Commissioner Floyd indicated the vote on Resolution No. 4016 should have been 4-0 since he had recused himself. It was moved by Pontious, seconded by Menard, to approve the Consent Calendar as corrected. Motion carried 5-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS None REGULAR BUSINESS None STAFF CONCERNS 2. REPORT OF ACTIONS TAKEN AT THE FEBRUARY 21 AND MARCH 6, 2006, CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. Minutes - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 1 Director reported Lee Lee continued Pontious Director Menard On February 21,2006, the City Council approved Tentative Parcel Map 2005-240 for the condominium complex at 2552 Walnut Avenue. Interview dates were set for the Audit Committee, the Parks and Recreation Committee, and the Planning Commission vacancies; on March 6, 2006, those interviews were held. Commissioner Floyd was reappointed and Chuck Puckett, a former Planning Commissioner and Council member, will fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Pontious. The effective date of the new terms will be May 1 , 2006. On March 6, 2006, the City Council approved Final Parcel Map 2005-175, the merger of two parcels at 12741-14792 Newport Avenue; the Final Map 16481 for Prospect Village was approved; in Old Town Tustin no demolition permit may be issued prior to a building permit; it is anticipated those permits will be issued this month. Staff will be taking to the City Council Monday, March 20,2006, an urgency ordinance extending the Interim Urgency Ordinance regarding medicinal marijuana dispensaries; that staff report will be provided to the Planning Commissioners in the next Planning Commission meeting binders as an information item. COMMISSION CONCERNS Thanked staff for the Specific Plan Amendment presentation during the Workshop held before the regular meeting this evening. Asked about the design of the section below the Core Community. Indicated that is the mixed-use development. Added that various experts who have worked on mixed-use communities looked at the design; the street systems proposed are pedestrian friendly. Noted that this design is similar to that of Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga. Thanked staff for helping the Commissioners through this complicated process. Stated he represented the City at a ribbon-cutting ceremony today at Heritage Plaza; re-welcomed Patterson Jewelers to their new location and welcomed Anthony B., both of which opened today; Minutes - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 2 noted the detail in the buildings is beautiful; the Chamber allowed him to present the Certificates of Recognition from the City Council. Offered congratulations to Jennifer Kohlenberger who was crowned Miss Tustin and to the Rotarian-sponsored candidate, first runner- up Crystal Cooper; and Commissioner Nielsen's daughter, Kierstie, as second runner-up. All the talented candidates and Beckman High School deserve praise for a wonderful event. Floyd Wished everyone Happy St. Patrick's Day. Thanked staff for their hard work in presenting the Workshop. Stated he is looking forward to another two years on the Planning Commission. Pontious Agreed that the work involved in the Workshop and the Specific Plan Amendments is appreciated. Director Asked if there is any chance of getting the old Design Guidelines in order for the Commissioners to have an idea of what we started with compared to what develops. Indicated that staff has not received a comprehensive draft. Pontious Asked that the Commissioners be provided the original draft. Director Stated the material received did not include fundamental information such as edge treatments and other basic information with which to review; the Tustin Legacy Communities Partners recently submitted an outline of one Village area and suggested that staff not look at the content but to look at the concept for other Village areas. Staff needs to let the partners deliver a draft document. Nielsen Congratulated Commissioner Floyd on his re-appointment and also Chuck Puckett, the new Commissioner. Noted it will be nice to have Commissioner Pontious around a while longer. Thanked staff for their work on the Specific Plan Amendments. Congratulated Jennifer Kohlenberger on being crowned Miss Tustin for 2006 and his daughter for being chosen second runner-up. The program at Beckman High School was impressive and the program is a nice way for young women to receive scholarship money for college. Minutes - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 3 7:17 p.m. ADJOURNMENT It was moved by Floyd, seconded by Menard, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. The next regular meeting of the Planning Commission is scheduled for Monday, March 27, 2006, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at 300 Centennial Way. Minutes - Planning Commission March 13, 2006 - Page 4