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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm min 1998/01/14 MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA 7:03 p.m. Wednesday, January 14, 1998 Council Chambers Public Services Building 276 Fourth Avenue~ Chula Vista ROLL CALL: Present: Chair Davis, Vice Chair Willett, Commissioners: Aguilar, Ray, Tarantino, and Thomas Absent: Commissioner O'Neill Staff Present: Ken Lee, Acting Planning Director Rick Rosaler, Principal Planner Beverly Blessent, Associate Planner Luis Hernandez, Acting Senior Planner Martin Miller, Acting Senior Planner Glenn Googins, Deputy City Attorney Ann Moore, Assistant City Attorney PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/SI LENT PRAYER INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: Read into the record by Chair Davis. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None submitted. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS: None 1. ACTION ITEM: PCM-98-23; Density Bonus for Trolley Terrace - South Bay Community Services Background: Martin Miller, Acting Senior Planner, reported that the applicant, South Bay Community Services is applying for a State and City-allowed density bonus which would allow the construction of a maximum of eighteen (18) dwelling units for the residentia[ development located at 750 ADA Street. The applicant is proposing to construct nine affordable units, and the City is allowing an additional nine units for a total of eighteen (18). The overall site is 1.59 acres, while the area to be used for residential purposes is 1.23 acres. The remainder of the project site, located toward the east, is proposed to be used as a day care ~acility. The State mandates that each jurisdiction provide developer incentives for projects of this nature. The City of Chula Vista waived development standards by not requiring implementation of certain provisions of the Municipal Code, specifically those requiring garages in an R-2 area. This requirement was substituted by allowing the use of thirty-six parking spaces under covered carports. Planning Commission Minutes - 2 - January 14, 1998 Secondly, the City is allowing Mixed-Use zoning within the housing development by shifting the density that would normally have been allowed on the day care portion of the project is being added to the residential portion in order to increase the over unit yield. Thirdly, the City made a significant contribution of $896,905 for this project ($523,965 in HOME funds in the form of Iow interest loan (3%) and $372,940 to purchase the land, payable in 55 years from residual receipts). Staff Recommendation: That the Planning Commission recommend that the Redevelopment Agency approve the request for a density bonus pursuant to the draft Redevelopment Agency Resolution. Commission Discussion: Vice Chair Willett asked if it was standard practice to have a loan for a 55-year term. Glenn Googins, Deputy City Attorney responded that the 55-year term is a standard regulatory period for this kind of financing and is a tax credit incentive. The City is benefiting from a long-term affordability covenant. Commissioner asked what the probabilities were that another similar project might be developed. Glenn Googins, responded that it is entirely possible that similar projects be presented. The density bonus program is a State-mandated program so that qualifying projects require the kinds of accommodations that staff has described in this report and most likely there are other suitable locations throughout the City for this type of program. Commissioner Thomas asked for clarification on wording contained in the report which states that the density bonus must be approved by the RDA, but State law does not require the approval. In addition, Cmr. Thomas asked for clarification on the off-street parking. Mr. Miller responded that State law does not require a public hearing for the approval of a density bonus, but the RDA does need to approve the density bonus. Mr. Miller further stated that projects of this nature in the R-2 zone normally require 75% parking accommodations in the form of garages, of which 50% would be 2-car garages, however, this requirement is being substituted by allowing covered carports instead of garages. MSC (Willett]Thomas) that the Planning Commission recommend that the Redevelopment Agency approve the request for a density bonus pursuant to the draft RDA Resolution of Approval. Motion carried (6-0-1). Planning Commission Minutes - 3 - January 14, 1998 PUBLIC HEARING: PCM 98-02 Proposal to amend the Otay Ranch SPA One Planned Community District Regulations Part III, Section II, Table 111-3 to allow market flexibility in determining the provision of Hollywood Driveways. Background: Beverly Blessent, Associate Planner, reported that the Otay Ranch SPA One Plan was approved by the City Council on June 4, 1996 and contains implementation measures intended toward encouraging pedestrian-friendly designs and attractive streetscapes, they are: alley product types, landscaped parkways, and Hollywood Driveways, which is the subject of the applicant's request. Hollywood Driveways are typically defined by several characteristics; the main one being that the garage is set behind the main house. The current Planned Community district regulations indicate that it would be a minimum of 30 feet from the curb. Additionally, the width of the driveway would be limited at the curb at the street right-of-way and also provide a landscape strip between two ribbons of concrete that would lead back to the driveway. Again, the intent is to create a more aesthetic streetscape and to avoid garages that would dominate the street The applicant, Otay Ranch Company, is requesting an amendment to the PC regulations of the SPA I that would be consistent with the amendment that was granted to McMillin Company in June of 1997. The applicant is requesting the same market flexibility in relation to the provision of Hollywood Driveways that was applied to the McMillin project; that being that the Hollywood Driveways be required on lots of 60 X 110 feet rather than 55 X 105 feet; that the requirement that the Hollywood Driveway be constructed on 30% of these lots be deleted, and to require one model be planned with a Hollywood Driveway and allowing the market to dictate whether or not the model with the Hollywood Driveway is actually constructed. Ms. Blessent stated that while staff is cognizant of the equity issue between McMillin Companies and the Otay Ranch Company, there is strong concern that the neo-traditional concepts of the SPA One Plan are being diluted before they have the opportunity to be tested, and staff is also concerned with the developer's sole discretion to determine the success of the Hollywood Driveway's marketability. Staff Recommendation: That the Planning Commission adopt Resolution 98-02 recommending that the City Council deny the applicant's request to amend the Hollywood driveway requirement. Public Hearing Opened 7:35 Kent Aden, 11975 El Camino Real, #104, San Diego, CA, representing Otay Ranch Company, stated that he drafted the Planned Community Regulations for Otay Ranch and is an ardent supporter of Hollywood Driveways as well as the other neo-traditional concepts contained in the PC Regulations, and Otay Ranch Company is strongly committed to promoting the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. The proposal is to change the present PC District Regulations which require a minimum of 30% of the lots that are 60' X 110' or greater to Planning Commission Minutes - 4 - January 14, 1998 incorporate the Hollywood Driveway, and would propose to delete the 30% minimum requirement and allow the exact number of units be market-driven. There are two reasons for this request: 1) there are 5 parcels within the SPA for which this requirement applies. At the present time, one of those parcels has been exempted from the 30% and four of them are still required to do it. If the policy is good for one of the parcels, it ought to be good for all five parcels regardless of who the owner is. Secondly, Otay Ranch Company is committed to providing models with Hollywood Driveways; the remaining unanswered questions is, how many will be built, which would remain unanswered until the market has a chance to respond. It would be unreasonable to require the developer to continue to build houses for which there is no market. If it is determined that there is a market for this model, the builders will build them. Commissioner Aguilar asked for clarification on the number and type of model homes that would be constructed and where the model with the Hollywood Driveway fits in. In addition, she asked what criteria would be used to determine the success of the Hollywood driveway marketability. Mr. Aden stated this phase of the project would only be for the larger lots (60' X 110') and they intend to build three model homes, one of which would have the Hollywood driveway. The success of the Hollywood driveway marketability, as with other features of any product is closely monitored and is ascertained by sales representatives who are trained to be able to make these determinations based on feed-back they receive from prospective buyers. Chair Davis asked if the Hollywood garage would be attached to the house where you can enter into the house from the garage. Mr. Aden stated that buyers still prefer to be able to enter into the house from the garage, primarily for safety reasons and weather conditions, therefore, it would be their intent to have the garages attached to the home. Public Hearing Closed 7:45 Commission Discussion Commissioner Tarantino stated that the equity issue weighed heavily in his decision and felt that by having Council set precedence in granting McMillin's request to amend the PC district regulations, then in all fairness, the same latitude has to be extended to subsequent requests, therefore, he cannot support staff's recommendation to deny the applicant's request. Chair Davis concurs with Commissioner Tarantino's statement and supports his recommendation to deny staff's recommendation. In addition, she stated that she is confident that Otay Ranch Company is committed to the pedestrian-friendly development concept and will strive to implement those concepts to the fullest extent possible. Planning Commission Minutes - 5 - January 14, 1998 Commissioner Thomas stated that in all fairness to the developer, he needs to be granted the flexibility to produce a product that is market-driven, therefore, he too will not support staff's recommendation. MSC (Aguilar/Thomas) that the Planning Commission adopt Resolution 98-02 recommending that the City Council approve the applicant's request to amend the Hollywood Driveway requirement, with the following two additional conditions: 1) that the language be changed to reflect-that there will be a model home with a Hollywood driveway, instead of a model with the OPTION of having a Hollywood Driveway; 2) that staff work with the applicant in an attempt to devise a more formal means of evaluating and assessing public reaction to the Hollywood driveway. Motion carried (6-0-1) (Commissioner O'Neill absent) Vice Chair Willett acknowledged the hard work done by staff in planning the Village concept and also in trying to bring an equitable solution to this matter. He therefore, urged the Commission to stay with and support the original Village concept. Commissioner Ray stated that while he is cognizant of the equity issue with the precedence that Council established, and understands that these matters are market- driven, he urged the Commission to not lose sight of the countless hours and tremendous effort that was put into planning the original Otay Ranch SPA One and that the Village concept could potentially be compromised, however, he would support the Commission consensus as previously stated. PUBLIC HEARING: PCS-98-02; Tentative Subdivision Map for the Eastlake Greens parcel R-16, Chula Vista Tract 98-02, involving 60 single family and 3 open space lots on 10.89 acres located on the north side of South Greens view Drive west of Hunte Parkway - The Eastlake Company. Background: Luis Hernandez, Acting Senior Planner, reported that the applicant has submitted a tentative subdivision map known as Eastlake South Greens Unit 16, Chula Vista Tract 98-02, in order to subdivide 10.89 acres into 60 single family and 3 open space lots. East neighborhood has a single access point from South Greensview Drive and a single interior street ending in cul-de-sacs. The residential lots are 53 x 89 with an average lot area of 5,400 square feet Staff Recommendation: That the Planning Commission adopt Resolution PCS-98-02 recommending approval of the Tentative Subdivision Map Eastlake South Greens View Unit 16, Chula Vista Tract 98-02, in accordance with the findings and subject to the conditions contained in the draft City Council resolution. Public Hearing Opened 8:02 No public input. Public Hearing closed 8:02 Planning Commission Minutes - 6 - January 14, 1998 MSC (Willetl]Ray) 6-0-1 (Commissioner O'Neill absent) that the Planning Commission approve Resolution PCS-98-02 recommending approval of the Tentative Subdivision Map Eastlake South Greens View Unit 16, Chula Vista Tract 98-02, in accordance with the findings and subject to the conditions contained in the draft City Council resolution. Motion carried. PUBLIC HEARING: PCS-98-03; Tentative Subdivision Map for the Eastlake Greens Parcel R-10, Chula Vista Tract 98-03, involving 231 single family and 5 open space lots on 34.28 acres located on the south side of South Greens view Drive west of Hunte Parkway - The Eastlake Company. Background: Luis Hernandez, Acting Senior Planner reported that the proposed tentative map consists of subdividing 34.28 acres into two separate building pads, referred to as the West and East neighborhoods, for a combined total of 231 single family and 5 open space lots. The West building pad elevation drops approximately 22 ft. from the westerly adjacent residential neighborhood and is about 17 ft. above the future Olympic Parkway located directly to the south. The East building pad elevation is approximately 8 ft. below the West building pad, 18-25 ft. above the easterly adjacent residential neighborhood and varies in height (8-30 ft.) above the future Olympic Parkway. On December 12, 1997 the Planning Commission considered a request to change Parcel R-10 present land use designation from a Residential Planned Concept to Residential Condominium land use designation. The change was primarily to allow the applicant to develop criteria to accommodate the small lot product. The Planning Commission endorsed the request and recommended approval by the City Council. Approval of this subdivision will be contingent upon approval of the SPA amendment that is pending consideration by the City Council. Staff Recommendation: That the Planning Commission approve Resolution PCS~98-03 recommending approval of the Tentative Subdivision Map, Eastlake South Greens View Unit 10, Chula Vista Tract 98-03, in accordance with the findings and subject to the conditions contained in the attached Draft City Council Resolution. Commission Discussion: Commissioner Willett stated that an area of concern that GMOC addresses is the impact that new development has on surrounding schools, and asked what impact this project would have on the school in that area. Luis Hernandez, stated that staff received a letter from the school district indicating there was sufficient capacity to accommodate new incoming students that would be attending school as a result of this development project. Planning Commission Minutes - 7 - January 14, 1998 Commissioner Aguilar asked if there has ever been a time when the school district has said they are filled to capacity and cannot accommodate any more students. Mr. Hernandez stated that the schools are planned at the inception of a development project when the SPA Plan is being developed and staff works closely with the school districts, and if there is ever a case where an existing school does not have the capacity to accommodate new students, staff will immediately refer the developer to negotiate with the school district measure to be able to accommodate new students. Public Hearing Opened 8:15 No public input. Public Hearing Closed 8:15 MSC (Aguilar/Willett) (6-0-1) that the Planning Commission approve Resolution PCS-98-03 recommending approval of the Tentative Subdivision Map, Eastlake South Greens View Unit 10, Chula Vista Tract 98-03, in accordance with the findings and subject to the conditions contained in the attached Draft City Council Resolution. Motion carried. UPDATE ON COUNCIL ITEMS Ken Lee stated that Council approved awarding the contract to Estrada Group on the MTDB landscaping, and staff is excited that this long-awaited project along the City's four-mile stretch of trolley line will finally be underway. On January 20th, Council will be discussing their seven areas of improvement. Council will be holding the Otay Valley Workshop on January 22 and will be a joint effort with the Planning Department and Community Development Department to review what has happened in the Otay Valley area, from the water park, to the amphitheater and future plans for the Otay area. There will be a Planning Commission workshop on Wednesday, January 21 at 6:00 and the topic of discussion will be the core plan for McMillin and their proposed revisions. Mr. Lee announced of Bob Leiter's return as the City of Chula Vista Planning Director and stated staff is very pleased and anticipating his return. DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Willett stated he has a printed copy of the web site on SR-125 and is making it available to Commission and staff for review if they so desire. Planning Commission Minutes -8- January 14, 1998 Commissioner Aguilar stated that in her opinion, the item on the Hollywood driveways is one of the more difficult issues the Commission has dealt with and suggested that staff incorporate into their report to Council or during the verbal presentation, verbiage that relays the dilemma the Commission wrestled with in terms of the equity issue and precedence that Council had established, and also their concern with the Village concept in the SPA One being compromised. ADJOURNMENT at 8:27 to the next regular Planning Commission meeting of January 28, 1998 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Diana Vargas, Secretary Planning Commission