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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014/08/27 Planning Commission MinutesCITY or CHULA VISTA Planning Commission 01=1000 REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA PLANNING COMMISSION Date: August 27, 2014 Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Public Service Building A 276 Fourth Avenue CALL TO ORDER at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Present: Commissioners Anaya, Livag, Nava, Vinson and Chair Calvo Absent: Commissioners Fragomeno and Moctezuma MOTIONS TO EXCUSE: Chair Calvo made a motion to excuse Commissioners Fragomeno and Moctezuma as requested. Commissioner Vinson seconded the motion and it passed 5 -0 -2 -0 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND MOMENT OF SILENCE OPENING STATEMENT: 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES August 13, 2014 Motion by Vinson; Second by Anaya Motion passed 5 -0 -2 -0 with Fragomeno and Moctezuma absent 2. Announcement of New Commissioners Julio C. Fuentes Gabriel E. Gutierrez PUBLIC COMMENTS: Persons speaking during Public Comments may address the Board /Commission on any subject matter within the Board /Commission's jurisdiction that is not listed as an item on the agenda. State law generally prohibits the Board /Commission from discussing or taking action on any issue not included on the agenda, but, if appropriate, the board /Commission may schedule the topic for future discussion or refer the matter to staff. Comments are limited to three minutes. Planning Commission Agenda August 27, 2014 Page -2- CONSENT ITEMS: The Planning Commission will enact the Consent Calendar staff recommendations by one motion, without discussion, unless a Planning Commissioner, a member of the public, or staff requests that the item be removed for discussion. If you wish to speak on this item, please fill out a "Request to Speak "form (available in the lobby) and submit it to the Secretary prior to the meeting. An item pulled from the Consent Calendar will be discussed immediately following the Consent Calendar. PUBLIC HEARINGS: The following item(s) have been advertised as public hearing(s) as required by law. If you wish to speak on any item, please fill out a "Request to Speak" form (available in the lobby) and submit it to the Commission Secretary prior to the meeting. 3. PUBLIC HEARING: PCM 14 -04 Planning Commission recommendation to the City Council to approve a resolution and adopt an ordinance amending the City of Chula Vista Urban Core Specific Plan and related rezoning actions. Project Manager: Michael Walker Commissioner Anaya recused himself Michael Walker gave a PowerPoint presentation that included the following information: INTRODUCTION The Urban Core Specific Plan (UCSP) was adopted by City Council in April 2007. As an implementing plan for the 2005 General Plan, the UCSP contains land use regulations and design guidelines for both private and public development to facilitate the visions provided by the General Plan. In 2011, the City Council approved amendments to the UCSP including: • The re- designation of portions of Third Avenue in the Village to a two -lane Downtown Promenade; and • Revisions to the residential parking standard in the Corridor subdistricts to be consistent with the citywide multi - family residential standard; and • Addition of the "Third Avenue Outdoor Dining Guidelines" as Appendix E. The UCSP requires periodic review of the Plan to ensure proper functioning and implementation over time. In 2013, the City Council requested staff to conduct the 5 -year review of the UCSP. This is consistent with the administration of the UCSP which anticipates periodic reassessment of the Plan's implementation as it is intended to be a document which responds to changing development trends in the urban core area. Over the last few years, several projects have benefited from the UCSP's form -based code development standards and design guidelines. Projects such as Urbana, The Colony and Lofts on Landis have been approved, with the Lofts on Landis project currently undergoing Planning Commission Agenda August 27, 2014 Page -3- construction. During the review and approval process of these projects staff identified several development issues that needed to be addressed to better facilitate urban development. With the exception of these recent projects, staff found limited development activity had actually occurred likely due in large part to the economy. DISCUSSION The hearing is intended to provide the Planning Commission with recommendations regarding changes to the UCSP including rezoning certain R -3 and commercially zoned trailer park sites, removing certain development standards to facilitate development, allow additional commercial /office businesses in the East Village (V -1) subdistrict, ensure the UCSP is consistent with policies established by the General Plan, particularly, "Complete Streets" and the Bikeway Master Plan, and make minor text edits to update information. Staff did the reassessment over the last year and recommends the following items be approved: • Rezone Apartment Residential (R -3) zoned parcels and certain commercial zoned parcels developed with trailer parks to provide consistency with the City's General Plan and existing adjacent land use subdistricts in the UCSP, making all parcels in the UCSP area uniformly and properly zoned. This action was deferred by Council with the original adoption of the Plan in 2007. The rezone would not result in the requirement to change the current use of property (Attachment 4). • Remove the minimum floor area ratio to allow less intense property development in areas other than Transit Focus Areas (TFAs) (Attachment 5). • Remove lot coverage as a mandatory development standard to allow more flexibility in form -based development. • Modify the Land Use Matrix for the Village District to reflect changes in uses and permit processing (Attachment 6). • Allow some commercial /office uses by right in the East Village (V -1) subdistrict in addition to residential uses (Attachment 7). • Add text to ensure the UCSP is consistent with the City's Bikeway Master Plan and adequately addresses Complete Streets policies. • Make minor text edits to clarify and update information relative to the processes that have been implemented in the last five plus years. • Provide a map which clearly identifies the zoning for the Northwest Urban Core area which includes the urban core subdistricts as well as adjacent Single - Family (R -1); Two - Family (R -2) and Mobile Home Park (MHP) zones. Planning Commission Agenda August 27, 2014 Page -4- Miscellaneous Updates: Staff is proposing other minor clarifications including providing consistency with the Bikeway Master Plan, "Complete Streets' policies, and new permit approval processes that have been implemented since the adoption of the UCSP in 2007. CONCLUSION The UCSP amendments will provide consistent zoning and land use designations in the urban core area, allow for better Plan implementation by removing limiting development standards and clarifying Plan language to facilitate property development trends, allow new commercial /office uses in the East Village (V -1) subdistrict, modify the Village Land Use Matrix, and ensure consistency with the citywide Bikeway Master Plan and "Complete Street' policies. The amendments would better incorporate the surrounding residential zones providing a broader urban core community. Adoption of the amendments would provide opportunities to revitalize the economic vitality of the urban core. Development pursuant to the UCSP would afford greater array of housing choices for residents of Chula Vista, and create more choices to work, shop, and play. RECOMMENDATION That Planning Commission adopts a Resolution recommending that the City Council approve the draft Resolution and Ordinance presented amending the UCSP and rezoning certain properties based on the findings set forth therein. Questions to Staff: Vinson: Questioned whether there was "more" or "less" density in the development Michael Walker gave an explanation and then Ed Batchelder, Planning Manager, focused in on the wording of "minimum floor ratio' which would allow more development because the "minimum floor ratio' was going to allow more development. Livag: The letter from Crossroads II addressed minimum parking requirements. Are there proposed changes to those? Batchelder: There are no changes proposed. He explained that there was a minimum of one space per unit. He also gave some discussion on the zoning districts adjacent to the trolley stations. Chair Calvo introduced the letter from Crossroads II — of which all Commissioners had a copy that was e- mailed to them prior to the meeting and a hard copy placed on the dais. Livag: Why was the mobile home park on Broadway skipped over and not incorporated into the section of the Urban Core Specific Plan at the bottom? Planning Commission Agenda August 27, 2014 Page -5- Batchelder: spoke on the area north of the Trolley Station and explained the original intent. If the Planning Commission wished to recommend an expansion of the area, they could send that recommendation to Council for consideration. He then addressed the mobile home park issue saying that they have purposely not rezoned those areas because the zone is almost like a protective zone for mobile homes vs the zoning for "trailer parks" which are on commercial land. Nava: What is the reason the properties were deferred from the zoning in 2010? Batchelder: At the time, there were some questions late in the process, specifically that we were gone to rezone R -3 spaces to a zone not previously on the books. There were questions whether rezoning them would be consistent with the "Cummings Initiative" and since it was late in the process and there was not sufficient time to analyze it. PUBLIC HEARING OPENED Mike Spethman, a Chula Vista resident and previous Planning Commission Commissioner, spoke in favor of the project and clarified why the residential component was originally removed from the Urban Core Specific Plan. He stated that the " anti - business /anti - development/ anti - growth group in the community who got the ear of a Councilperson — who in turn was able to get a majority vote and had the component removed. Without a residential component, there will be no development and he urged the Commission to adopt the item. Chair Calvo again referenced and brought into evidence, the letter that was received from Crossroads II — from the President and Vice President. It specified concerns and she made it known that the Commissioners had received it and been able to read it prior to the meeting. PUBLIC HEARING CLOSED Commissioner Deliberations /Questions Livag: Agreed with Spethman that we should adopt the plan, but asked if it could amend the zoning (113) regarding the mobile home area. Batchelder: If that's what the Commission wants to do, he suggests they make an additional motion to refer it to Council for consideration. There was further discussion between Livag and Batchelder. Vinson: Also supports the passing of this project. As Spethman said, we worked hard and it was well vetted. Time to bring it to fruition. Nava: Supports the project, but would like to see some of the other properties that are getting redeveloped come through the Commission i.e. like some of the smaller projects that went to the Design Review Board. Batchelder: Presently whether in or out of the Urban Core area, through the process improvement and depending on the square footage, some of it is done through administrative Planning Commission Agenda August 27, 2014 Page -6- design review at the staff level or comes to the Planning Commission which was combined with the Design Review Board. Michael Walker gave the Commission some information as to which projects qualify for the Administrative Staff review or the Planning Commission review. There was more discussion regarding the subject to include residential and /or commercial areas. Batchelder addressed the Crossroads II letter, specifically addressing the parking issues and the set -backs along Roosevelt Street. He wanted to be sure to address any questions the Commission had regarding anything in the letter. There were no questions regarding anything addressed in the letter. Chair Calvo also supports the project and thinks it's definitely something that is needed, especially along Third Avenue. ACTION: Motion by Vinson; second by Livag Vote: 5 -0 -1 -1 with Nava absent and Anaya abstaining ACTION: Motion to recommend the City Council to direct staff to look at incorporating MHP and R -3 adjacent to UC12 and UC14 and to bring those areas into the Urban Core Specific Plan. Vote: 5 -0 -1 -1 with Nava absent and Anaya abstaining OTHER BUSINESS 4. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: The item originally on the docket for Sept. 10th has been delayed so there will be no meeting on that date. The next meeting will be on Sept. 24th and include an item on the Village 2 Spa Plan amendment. S. COMMISSIONERS COMMENTS: As this is his last meeting, the Commission thanked Commissioner Vinson for his service. ADJOURNMENT: At 6:46 p.m. to the next Regular Planning Commission Meeting on September 10, 2014 at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Pat Laughlin, Secretary