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2012 10 23 PC MinutesPLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23 2012 CALL TO ORDER A regular meeting of the La Quinta Planning Commission was called to order at 7:03 p.m. by Chairwoman Barrows. Commissioner Weber led the Commission in the Pledge of Allegiance. PRESENT: Commissioners Alderson, Weber, Wilkinson, and Chairwoman Barrows. ABSENT: Commissioner Wright STAFF PRESENT: Planning Manager David Sawyer, Principal Planner Andrew Mogensen, Principal Planner Wally Nesbit, Associate Planner Jay Wuu, and Executive Secretary Carolyn Walker. PUBLIC COMMENT - None CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA Confirmed APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion - A motion was made by Commissioners Alderson /Weber to approve the Planning Commission Minutes of September 25, 2012, as submitted with the addition of the following: Commissioner Wilkinson asked for the following item to be added to Public Hearing Item A, after Paragraph 6: Commissioner Wilkinson asked what the cost was on a project like this. Mr. Roach responded the total cost for buildings, land and all the development costs was about twenty -plus million. The construction costs could be $1004110 per square foot. AYES: Commissioners Alderson, Weber, Wilkinson, and Chairwoman Barrows NOES: None ABSENT: Commissioner Wright ABSTAIN: None 1 An additional comment was made by Commissioner Weber noting the new streamlined minute format and saying that, in the future, he may be asking that specific items, actions and questions be added to the minutes. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. Consideration of Site Development Permit 2012 -923 submitted by Master Association of Rancho La Quinta for Development Plans for the expansion of the Rancho La Quinta Jefferson Street Gatehouse, located at 49 -003 Jefferson Street: Associate Planner Jay Wuu presented the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. Chairwoman Barrows asked if there were any questions of staff. There being no further questions of staff, Chairwoman Barrows asked if the applicant would like to speak. Mr. Curtis Shupe, Curtis R Shupe Design, 72 -880 Fred Waring Drive, Suite A5, Palm Desert, designer of the project for the Master Association of Rancho La Quinta, introduced himself and offered to answer any questions. Commissioner Alderson commented on: • Whether the applicant had read and accepted the ALRC comments. • If the stacking was going to change. • If the flagpole would remain. • If a contractor would be dealing with the palm tree removal. Applicant responded affirmative on all points except the stacking; which would not be changing. Chairwoman Barrows commented on: • The ALRC's conditions on additional landscaping; as what is shown is very sparse. • Shade, and the addition of bougainvillea, would be an advantage to the southern exposure. Mr. Shupe said the perspectives shown were deliberately sparse to highlight the design of the buildings, but the intent was to continue the type, style, and extent of landscaping currently there. - He pointed out other exhibits showing the landscaping, as well as the planter area which allowed additional landscaping opportunities. 2 Mr. Shupe explained their electronics consultant's concern about extensive landscaping and moisture - proofing their equipment and then directed the Commission to Site Plan Sheet No. 2. Chairwoman Barrows asked if there were any more questions of the applicant. There being none she asked if there was any public comment. There being no other public comment, Chairwoman Barrows closed the public hearing portion of the meeting and opened the matter for Commission discussion. General discussion followed on: Whether the ALRC recommendations on additional landscaping were included in the conditions; which staff confirmed had been covered in Condition No. 35. There being no further questions or discussion, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Weber /Alderson to adopt Resolution 2012 -026 recommending approval of Site Development Permit 2012 -923 as submitted. AYES: Commissioners Alderson, Weber, Wilkinson, and Chairwoman Barrows NOES: None ABSENT: Commissioner Wright ABSTAIN: None 2. Consideration of Conditional Use Permit 2012 -145 submitted by Tait & Associates, Inc. for a proposal to allow four (4) temporary metal storage containers during the 2012 Holiday Season. The containers are to be located at the Walmart Supercenter - 79 -295 Highway 1 1 1. Principal Planner Andrew Mogensen presented the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. Chairwoman Barrows asked if there were any questions of staff. Commissioner Weber commented on: • The Holiday Reminder letter was very proactive. • That there was a definitive removal date (January 15, 2013). Commissioner Alderson commented on: Previous problems with holiday containers being removed on a timely basis. 3 • The importance of the location of the containers and the lack of site pollution. • The importance of a definitive removal date. There being no further questions of staff, Chairwoman Barrows asked if the applicant would like to speak. Mr. Greg Fick, Tait & Associates, 701 North Park Center Drive, Santa Ana CA 92705, representing Walmart Supercenter °introduced himself and said they reviewed the conditions and had no objections to them. He then offered to answer any of the Commissioners' questions. Commissioner Weber asked if he had dealt with this type of, permitting in other cities. And, if so, were La Quinta regulations more stringent or more lax compared to those other cities. Mr. Fick responded some were more relaxed and some more stringent, but his experience with La Quinta was good. It was fast and efficient. Chairwoman Barrows asked if there were any more questions of the applicant. There being none she asked if there was any other public comment. There being no other public comment, Chairwoman Barrows closed the public hearing portion of the meeting and opened the matter for Commission discussion. There being no further questions or discussion, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Alderson /Wilkinson to adopt Resolution 2012 -027 recommending approval of Conditional Use Permit 2012 -145 as submitted. AYES: Commissioners Alderson, Weber, Wilkinson, and Chairwoman Barrows NOES: None ABSENT: Commissioner Wright ABSTAIN: None 3. Zoning Ordinance Amendment 2012 -109 submitted by the City of La Quinta for consideration of Amendments to the La Quinta Municipal Code; Section 9.150, Parking, and Sections related thereto. Location: City- wide. Principal Planner Wally Nesbit presented the staff report, a copy of which is on file in the Planning Department. Chairwoman Barrows asked if there were any questions of staff. Commissioner Weber commented on: • Side entries and their clarification in the amended Ordinance. 0 Commissioner Alderson commented on: • The phrasing of the amended Ordinance and how it covered many conditions and situations. Chairman Barrows commented on: • Clarification of locations, other than the Cove, where tandem parking was allowed.. • The possibility of extra garage space being used for non - compliant activities; such as residential businesses. Staff explained the differences between what was previously versus currently stated in the Parking Ordinance relating to oversized tandem garages. Also, the City's role was to make sure a certain amount of garage space was included in a residential building plan, but not to address how the space was used. The exception to this would be if there was an obvious code issue with how the garage space was being utilized. Staff noted the Amendment information had been presented to the Cove Neighborhood Association for review and they did not have any concerns. There being no applicant, as this is a City project, Chairwoman Barrows asked if there was any public comment. There being no public comment, Chairwoman Barrows closed the public hearing portion of the meeting and opened the matter for Commission discussion. Commissioner Weber commented on: • His concern about the Commission overturning the Director's Determination and suggested using caution in the future. . • Whether the project, which pre - empted these changes, is still moving forward. Staff responded it was. Chairwoman Barrows thanked staff for their efforts to bring forth consistency to the Code. There being no further questions or discussion, it was moved and seconded by Commissioners Alderson /Wilkinson to adopt Resolution 2012 -028 recommending approval of Zoning Ordinance Amendment 2012 -109 as submitted. 5 AYES: Commissioners Alderson, Weber, Wilkinson, and Chairwoman Barrows NOES: None ABSENT: Commissioner Wright ABSTAIN: None BUSINESS SESSION 1: Consideration of the Fiscal Year 2012/2013 Planning Commission Work Program. Planning .Manager Sawyer presented the items outlined in the 2012/2013 Planning Commission Work Program, a copy of, which is on file in the Planning Department. Commissioner Comments follow. Parking Regulations Update: • . Commissioner Alderson suggested extending the width of the parking stalls from the minimum of nine feet to ten feet. He gave examples as to why this would be more effective. • Commissioner Weber- parking widths could be addressed with'the parking regulations and urged staff to consider the parking needs of alternative vehicles such as NEVs (neighborhood electric vehicles) golf carts, bicycles, motorcycles, and motor scooters. • Chairwoman Barrows asked if `there was a possibility. of looking at requiring a lower amount of parking. (Staff responded they were looking into whether the ratios were accurate and expanded on minimum and maximum parking ratios.) She said the City of Palm Desert's Sustainability Commission was doing 'volunteer work on parking. studies and -suggested staff contact them on their findings. She was concerned about the heat: islands caused by large parking lots . along the Highway 111 corridor and encouraged staff to come up with some innovative solutions. She also encouraged staff to continue. to look into making parking lots more pedestrian - friendly. Parking Improvement Area in the Village Commercial District: • Commissioner Alderson — said he had a problem with the payment of an in -lieu fee instead of adhering to the Code. (Staff explained the use of the in -lieu fee and pooling funds for purchase of future parking lot property.) N • Commissioner Weber - said an in -lieu fee was a way of funding a resource (future Village parking lot) which was needed and it was an important thing to do. He commented on the funding allotted for this item and relayed his recent conversation with the Planning Director. He suggested staff recommend the Council approve additional funding, possibly for a consultant to make sure we put our best effort forward to eliminate any problems on the "back side ". • Chairwoman Barrows - said it makes sense to consider a Parking Improvement Area for the Village. Temporary Sign Ordinance: • Commissioner Alderson asked if the Commission would be addressing political signs. (Staff said they were temporary signs and were covered under the Temporary Sign Ordinance. A decision had not yet been made on how, or if, they would be addressed in this amendment.) Permit Efficiency and Streamlining: • Commissioner Alderson - gave a positive example of the chart available in Building & Safety which showed the sequence of events and the tracking of each permit. He said it would be awfully helpful if an applicant could come in, look at a chart, and tell were their plans were at, without having to bother the Counter Tech. • Commissioner Wilkinson - asked if there was a way to identify time frames for each permit type. (Staff responded they were still in the conceptual stage on how to streamline and make adjustments.) He suggested that the streamlining not be tied to a specific time frame; such as 15, 30 or 90 days, due to scheduling on the part of the applicant; but instead to explain what time frame the applicant could typically expect. He also suggested that recurring applications, such as the containers reviewed earlier, could be approved annually by staff if there were no complications or issues from the previous year. • Commissioner Weber - customer service and streamlining are very important. There should be a standard and he suggested staff could check on industry standards to find out what their best practice was and use that as a benchmark. • Chairwoman Barrows - asked if the City had considered on -line streamlining for simple permits as well as an on -line database and application system, such as that described by Commissioner Alderson, 7 for tracking an application's progress. (Staff commented on the "City's efforts to update current computer applications which could include taking advantage of technology to provide better methods of informing applicants of their project's status.) She suggested the City consider fee waivers or permit streamlining, as a reward, to draw in certain types of permitting such as solar installations, and projects with lowered parking ratios. CORRESPONDENCE AND WRITTEN MATERIAL - None COMMISSIONER ITEMS 1. Report on City Council meetings of October 2, and 16, 2012. 2. Commissioner Wilkinson is scheduled to attend the November 6, 2012, City Council meeting. 3. Commissioner Weber commented on the APA Conference and thanked the City for paying a half of the registration fees so he could attend the conference. He commended Planning Director, Les Johnson, who was the Co -Chair of the Conference, held at Rancho La Palmas in Rancho Mirage. PLANNING STAFF ITEMS - None ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, it was moved by Commissioners Alderson /Wilkinson to adjourn this meeting at 8:11 p.m. AYES: Commissioners Alderson, Weber, Wilkinson, and Chairwoman Barrows NOES: None ABSENT: Commissioner Wright ABSTAIN: None Respectfully submitted, CAROL N WALKER, Executive Secretary City of La Quinta, California M