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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm min 1987/07/22 Tape No : 281 Side 1: 0-1068 MINUTES OF A REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA Council Chambers 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, 1987 Public Services Building ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chairman Shipe, Commissioners Cannon, Carson, Fuller, Grasser, Green and Tugenberg COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None STAFF PRESENT: Director of Planning Krempl, Principal Planner Lee, Deputy City Attorney Moore, Senior Civil Engineer Daoust, City Traffic Engineer Glass, Environmental Review Coordinator Reid PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - SILENT PRAYER The pledge of allegiance to the fl ag was led by Chairman Shipe and was followed by a moment of silent prayer. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Chairman Shipe reviewed the composition of the Planning Commission, its responsibilities and the format of the meeting. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS None 1. PUBLIC HEARING: (CONTINUED) CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT PCC-87-39M - REOUEST TO ALLOW CONTINUANCE OF AN RV STORAGE LOT LOCATED AT 1383 BROADWAY - BROADWAY EOUITIES, LTD. Associate Planner Griffin said that because of a scheduling conflict with the Montgomery Planning Committee, it was recommended that the item be continued to the meeting of August 12. The applicant has indicated no objection to the continuance. MSUC (Cannon/Carson) (6-1) - to continue the item to August 12, 1987 Planning Commission Minutes -2- July 22, 1987 2. REPORT: ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR) AND HEIGHT LIMITATIONS - PCA-86-6 Associate Planner Griffin noted that when the Zoning Ordinance was amended last year to establish the floor area ratio (FAR) and a more restrictive height limit, Council also directed staff to report back in 1 year on the implementation of the FAR. The Commission has also expressed some concern with excessive FARs in small lot developments that are in the P-C zone, are subject to design review and are presently exempt from the FAR and height limits. With regard to the small lot development, the new FAR limit and height restrictions were primarily designed to address additions to existing dwellings and in-fill construction in existing neighborhoods. Under previous controls, the 40 percent lot coverage and 35-foot height restriction permitted construction of dwellings out of scale with the size of the lot and the neighborhood. In the P-C zone area, which is subject to design review, the City is considering an entire development package with the configuration of the lot, the design and floor plans of the dwellings, the interrelationship of the site and the dwellings as well as development standards recorded with the subdivision to restrict future additions and modifications to the dwellings. In cases where the City has approved projects beyond the new FAR, common open space areas and facilities to compensate for reduction in private open space are being regarded. As a result, the ultimate scale and bulk of the dwellings, open space requirements and the character of the neighborhood as a whole is reviewed and approved by the City and known to each prospective homeowner. The distinction between the existing neighborhoods and the new areas where there is design control therefore is valid and supportable. Mr. Griffin stated that most of the development projects comply with the new standards. Only two variance requests to exceed the single-family FAR were received last year; one was approved by the Zoning Administrator because 50-percent lot coverage had been approved at the time of the original subdivision submittal. The other, denied by the Commission, was a request for a 46.percent to 52 percent FAR. One issue raised during the year was the possible exemption of open-sided structures (patio covers, porches and the like) from the FAR. Staff believes that circumstances can vary so much that it would be inadvisable to grant an exemption for that type of structure. In the small lot development, however, the addition of a sun$creen patio cover (open on two or more sides and with a semi-open roof design) could be considered for exemption of the FAR requirement with certain criteria regarding the size, location and design of the structure. The distinction between granting an exemption under the FAR and the small lot developments is that approval is granted for the sunscreen patio cover only, whereas in the case of an R-1 lot, an existing patio cover could be modi~d to allow square footage on the dwelling. It is staff's opinion that the existing restrictions are working well, prohibit obvious excesses, do not hinder lot development and allow for an adequate floor area based on the size of the lot. For those reasons, it is recommended that the existing restrictions be retained as established. Planning Commission Minutes -3- July 22, 1987 MSC (Cannon/Carson) {5-1) Tugenberg, no to support the current FAR and height limitations. Discussion included Commissioner Tugenberg's opposition that the crowding of homes on small lots in excess of the FARs will breed future slums particularly where there is no homeowners' association to regulate the appearance, and Commissioner Cannon's support that the regular review by the Commission of the planned community developments can control the size of the houses on the lots. 3. OTHER BUSINESS: {a) CONSIDERATION OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE LAND USE CHART TO PERMIT ON-SITE DRY CLEANING IN THE C-N ZONE (PCM-87-22) - MIKE HAMMIT Associate Planner Griffin stated that the land use chart allows on-site dry cleaning in all retail commercial zones except the C-N zone. The applicant requesting inclusion of the C-N zone has provided supporting information indicating that the environmental hazards, visual impacts and activity impacts of on-site dry cleaning conducted on a retail basis are no greater than those of a pick-up station. Staff recommends approval of the change. MSUC {Cannon/Fuller) to amend the Land Use Chart to allow retail dry cleaning in the C-N zone. Commissioner Fuller commended and thanked the applicant for the quality of the background information provided. (b) RESOLUTION - LIBRARY PLAN Director Krempl noted the item had been continued from the previous meeting; a resolution had been prepared for Commission consideration; copies of the Library Master Plan had been distributed; and the Library Director, Rosemay Lane, would like to make some additional comments regarding the contents of the report. Library Director Lane stated that the first planning area to be considered was the Montgomery/Otay Area. Because that area is basically built out, it was recommended that an existing building site be selected in that area first. The two existing County libraries in the area could then closed. The Sweetwater/Bonita planning area is a developing area and a site would need to be found for construction. Since the population build-out is far in the future, actual construction would occur much later. The Eastern Territory is poorly defined for this type of study as it is divided into a north and south area. Data indicates a need for a 17,000 square foot library by 2010. No site selection would occur at this time. If, however, the Eastern Territory-south and United Enterprises become part of the City, the whole configuration would be changed. Planning Commission Minutes -4- July 22, 1987 Using the overhead projector, Director Lane displayed the population growth figures utilized to determine the facility size. Using San Diego's criteria of building lO,O00 square foot branch libraries, however, would result in six branches in Chula Vista, therefore, it is not considered cost effective to build the traditional, small neighborhood branches. The possibility of affiliating with or using school library facilities was investigated but none of the school districts indicated they were on a building-expansion program nor did they or Southwestern College have room to accommodate a public library system. Director Lane emphasized the overcrowing in the main library, its increasing and expanding usage and the fact that persons from as far away as Ramona or San Ysdro were being served in addition to the Chula Vista residents. MSUC (Cannon/Carson) to approve the Library Master Plan (c) PREVIEW OF RANCHO DEL REY SPA I PLAN Planning Director Kremp indicated that a major planning effort similar to the process with EastLake was involved in this project and Tony Lettieri had been hired on a contract basis by the City to serve as the Review Planner for the City and to coordinate review of the total project in terms of various City inputs as well as input from outside agencies. He pointed out that staff wanted the Commission to preview some of the information to date, time schedules, project direction and some of the fundamental issues which they will ultimately be considering. No action or detailed discussion is in order; however, any comments, questions or suggestions by the Commission would be welcomed and incorporated into the balance of the planning process. Tony Lettieri, E1 Rancho del Rey (ERDR) Consultant, said he would present a brief overview of the project and its relationship to the ERDR Specific Plan approved in November, 1985. Then the applicant would review the SPA Plan itself and afterwards he would return to complete the presentation on the status of the project. The ERDR Specific Plan and General Plan Amendment were approved in 1985. That Specific Plan requires the submittal of Sectional Plans (SPAs) prior to the approval of subdivision maps. The current application and this workshop covers the first SPA Plan. In addition to documents already provided the Commission, this SPA Plan has on file a fiscal impact study, a public facilities financing plan, design guidelines and development regulations. Mr. Lettieri briefly reviewed the ERDR Specific Plan which serves as a guide for the density allocation for the SPA Plan. Of the five sections or phases of the Specific Plan, the one under consideration at this workshop is a portion of the Corcoran Ranch. Mr. Lettieri stated that staff review has concentrated on how the SPA Plan responds to the Specific Plan guidelines, General and Specific Plan conformance matters, land use design, the public facilities financing plan as it relates to phasing of improvements and the various financing techniques involved, and finally the traffic analysis and the attendant monitoring needs. Planning Commission Minutes -5- July 22, 1987 Ken Baumgartner, McMillin Development, representing the E1 Rancho del Rey Partnership, 2727 Hoover Avenue, National City, said they intended to present the Commission with an overview of the effort to conform to the guidelines and approved Specific Plan. Significant efforts have been made to include many of the needed public facilities early in the program and to match that with a balance of open space, different types of residential uses, plus an employment park. Gary Cinti, Cinti & Associates, 1133 Columbia Street, Ste 201, San Diego, gave a slide presentation of the SPA document and its elements. He reviewed the site utilization plan wherein he identified for each parcel the number of acres or densities. He al so reviewed the Rancho del Rey traffic analysis in which he pointed out the loop road which features an 84-foot right-of-way including 22-foot wide parkways and meandering sidewalks. The trails element includes an equestrian element and extends through the north leg of Rice Canyon into the SDG&E easement. That SDG&E easement is utilized to connect parks with residential areas throughout the project. Mr. Cinti also illustrated with slides and discussed the recreation/open space plan, the storm water plan (including erosion-prevention features), the domestic and waste water plans, the grading~andscaping plan, and the residential elements. Questions and replies to the Commission by Mr. Baumgartner included: McMillin will not be the sole builder. Lots and certain segments of the project will be available for sale but under very specific controls on building and design standards and enforcement - In the three access points from the employment park to East "H" Street, the westerly-most access point (basically at the present Paseo del Rey signal) will be signalized, also the easterly-most access point; the middle one features righthand turn lanes both in and out with no central median and will not been signalized. At this point, Commissioner Tugenberg stated he would like to see relatively large pads in the industrial park in order to control the number of vehicles in and out of the park. - Regarding what could be anticipated in the way of improvement or decline in north-bound 1-805 traffic because of the employment park generation the developer has endeavored to maintain the Level of Service "C" at all major intersections. Certain limitations on the development of the project have been incorporated plus further thresholds are anticipated as a result of the activities involving Crossroads, City staff and the developer. To say traffic will "improve" might not be a correct statement, but there will be sufficient improvement made in the road systems and widenings that at least the present level of traffic services will be retained. Traffic on "H" Street (20,000 ADT) will improve upon the road completion. One of the greatest challenges facing the developer is that the parcel has major frontage on three roadways Otay Lakes Road, "H" Street and Telegraph Canyon Road. - Planning Commission Minutes -6- July 22, 1987 Mr. Lettieri interjected that there would be a full presentation on traffic as well as other environmental issues at the Commission meeting of August 12th. Commissioner Grasser expressed concern about the proximity of the R-10 "Cottages" to the "Executive Homes" because of the high density. Mr. Baumgartner replied that it was hoped that the separation between the two areas by the major access road coming up from Otay Lakes Road would provide ample community separation. Mr. Lettieri concluded the presentation by indicating a summary of the issues on the SPA Plan were contained in the last three pages of the staff report. He pointed out the SPA Plan was designed to respond to the site's natural features as well as the conformity to the Specific Plan. The EIR is out to public review, will be considered on August 12th and it is anticipated that the SPA Plan will be before the Commission in 45 to 60 days. He noted that the elementary school site might be changed because of the proximity of high power tension lines and introduced Mr. Linn. John Linn, Chula Vista City Schools, explained that the State Office of Architecture and the OLA, the Local Assistance Bureau, is recommending a 300-400 foot distance between high-power lines and school buildings because of concern about the impact of the high power line emissions on humans. He indicated that the regulation has been in effect approximately 6 months. DIRECTOR'S COMMENTS Director Krempl noted that the General Plan Update is in the testing phase now with JHK, the traffic consultant, and Engineering Science doing the modeling to test each of the land-use scenarios both in the Eastern Territory and also in Central Chula Vista. Completion is expected in September. Council has requested a more detailed time schedule of the completion of the General Plan and its major components and this information will also be provided to the Commission. - an RFP is being prepared to hire a consultant for the Growth Management Component of the General Plan. This involves the actual implementation and phasing of development and the type of growth management program suitable for the City. $150,000 has been approved in next year's CIP program to cover the expenditures. - the Consortium composed of developers, the City and Crossroads, is endeavoring to gather background information and bring to the table discussion about thresholds and service levels that might be appropriate. One of the items refers to formation of an "Oversight Committee" which would meet annually, review progress and report to the Council through the Planning Commission on the General Plan implementation and the conformance of the projects. The Council has asked staff to solicit comments from -- various entities including the Commission; therefore, at either the next meeting or workshop, background information regarding the function and role of the Committee, its structure, meeting times and so forth will be provided. It is anticipated that either the Chair or a member of the Planning Commission would be a member of that Committee. Planning Commission Minutes -7- July 22, 1987 - on the 21st, Council emplaced a 90-day moratorium on residential tentative maps east of 1-805. Processing and filing of the tentative maps can still occur, however, the process would stop prior to staff preparation of the final map conditions and Planning Commission consideration. No maps presently on file are impinged directly although there are a number of people in interest on the moratorium. The new moratorium is in addition to the one on processing of General Plan Amendments of any nature east of 1-805 excluding the Otay Rio Business Park. EIRs and certain consultant work will still be occurring on major projects like EastLake Greens, but staff time will be minimized in an effort to avoid decision-making until the General Plan Update is completed. The moratoriums are for 90-day periods because that is the maximum period that can be effectuated without a public hearing. It is not known if the tentative map moratorium will be extended but it is hoped that by the end of the 90 days some firmer definition of thresholds and performance criteria may have evolved for staff to utilize in evaluation of and placing conditions on tentative maps. It is expected that the General Plan moratorium will be extended. COMMISSION COMMENTS None. ADJOURNMENT AT 8:25 p.m. to the Regular Business Meeting of August 12, 1987 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers Ruth M. Smith, Secretary Planning Commission WPC 4207P