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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm min 1979/11/14 MIHUTES OF A REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA November 14, 1979 A regular business meeting of the City Planning Commission of Chula Vista, California was held on the above date beginning at 7:00 p.m. with the following members present: Smith, Pressutti, G. Johnson, R. Johnson, O'Neill, Stevenson and Williams. Also present: Director of Planning Peterson, Supervisor of Current Planning Lee, City Engineer Lippitt, Assistant City Attorney Harron and Secretary Mapes. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MSUC (Stevenson-Williams) The minutes of the meetings of October 17 and October 24, 1979 be approved as written, copies having been mailed to the Commission. Con~issioner O'Neill abstained from voting due to his absence from those meetings. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Chairman Smith called for oral communications and none were presented. 1. Consideration of request for deferral of public improvements at 312 Hilltop Drive City Engineer Lippitt reported that the owner of the property at 312 Hilltop Drive applied for a building permit to construct an addition to the dwelling. Since the valuation of the proposed work exceeds $10,000, it requires installation of street and sidewalk improvements along the front of the property. The owner has requested a deferral from installing the improvements on the grounds of incompatibility with the area, since such improvements have not been installed by the adjacent properties. Mr. Lippitt displayed a plat showing the areas along Hilltop Drive where improve- ments have been installed and where such improvements are missing. He concurred with the desirability of having improvements along the entire block installed, but felt that having this portion of the improvements installed would not be incompatible with the neighborhood, it would not be impractical and would not create a hazardous condition. It is therefore staff's recommendation that the request be denied. In response to a question from Commission O'Neill Mr. Lippitt advised that installation of the sidewalk would not impair the existing mature trees along the west side of Hilltop Drive. He also affirmed that the property on both sides of Hilltop Drive is now within the city boundaries. Joseph L. Henderson, 312 Hilltop Drive, the applicant, took issue with the statement in the report that over half the property fronting on the west side of Hilltop Drive has the improvements in place. He expressed the opinion that installing sidewalk along his frontage would serve little purpose since it would not connect at either end to existing improvements. He expressed his willingness to participate if improvement of the entire block is initiated. -2- November 14, 1979 Commissioner Williams asked about the amount of pedestrian traffic in this area, but no definite information was available. MS (O'Neill-Pressutti) The deferral be granted subject to the two conditions listed in the albernate recommendation of the staff report. The motion failed to pass by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners O'Neill, Pressutti, and Smith NOES: Commissioners Williams, R. Johnson, G. Johnson and Stevenson MS (G. Johnson-R. Johnson) The request for deferral of public improvements be denied based on the finding that the construction of improvements at this time would not be impractical because of physical features of the site, nor would they create a hazardous or defective condition, nor would they be incompatible with the area. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners G. Johnson, R. Johnson, Williams and Stevenson NOES: Commissioners O'Neill, Pressutti and Smith ABSENT: None 2. PUBLIC HEARING: Variance PCV-80-5 - Request for reduction of side yard from 20 feet to 3 feet for construction of additional classroom structure on church site at 346 "L" Street, Chula Vista Church of the Nazarene Supervisor of Current Planning Lee noted the location of the property on the south side of "L" Street and the irregular shape of the parcel which is bounded on the east by the Telegraph Canyon drainage ditch. He displayed a site plan showing the location of the existing sanctuary and the classroom building, as well as the proposed addition to be located adjacent to the west lot boundary with a 3 foot setback at the rear corner of the building. The plan shows a 10 foot separation between the proposed addition and the existing classroom building, however, the existing building has an 8 foot roof overhang, so it would be necessary to join the roofs of the two buildings. The staff recommends reducing the separation between buildings to 8 feet to provide a 5 foot setback from the property line. There should be no detrimental effect from this reduced setback since it is adjacent to an elementary school playground. The staff recommends approval of the variance subject to the maintenance of a minimum 5 foot setback and to a requirement for site plan and architectural approval by the Planning Department. Commissioner G. Johnson asked if this addition would effect the play area of the school and whether the city has established requirements for playground areas. Mr. Lee advised the city does not have such requirements and that the area of the proposed building is presently landscaped and the play area presently used is at the south end of the classroom building on a paved surface. This being the time and place as advertised, the public hearing was opened. -3- November 14, 1979 Joe Dulisse, 633 Via Curvada, free lance civil engineering designer and a member of the Chula Vista Church of the Nazarene, called attention to the requirement in the Negative Declaration for a noise analysis to be prepared by a qualified acoustician with recommendations incorporated into the project. He pointed out that the noise analysis conducted for the initial study indicated that the impact of noise would be mitigated if the windows were closed. He requested that if their plans are modified to show a closed structure with air conditioning, that the requirement for a noise analysis be deleted. He expressed concurrence with the recommendation for reducing the separation between buildings to 6 feet, but asked if they could at the same time retain the 3 foot setback from the property line in order to increase the size of the classrooms. In response to questions from the Commission, Mr. Dulisse advised that at the present time the expansion is for Sunday School use and not for the day school on the site. B. E. Gebhart, 1471 Laurel Avenue, pastor of the church, commended the staff on the report and on the presentation of their proposal. He indicated that the reason for the expansion is to handle 50 to 60 more children on Sunday, but they do not expect an increase in the day school program which is not under their direction. As no one else wished to speak, the public hearing was closed. The Commission discussed the possibility of modifying the negative declaration to permit installation of air conditioning in lieu of the requirement for a noise analysis by a qualified acoustician. Commissioner G. Johnson expressed concern over increasing the use of this site without any standards by the city relating to the area for children to play. When she observed this site the children were playing on the parking lot. It was moved by Commissioner Pressutti that the Commission adopt the Negative Declaration on IS-80-26 with a modification to the mitigation measures to add after the requirement for a noise analysis, "or installing an appropriate air conditioning system~" The motion died for lack of a second. MS (Pressutti-Stevenson) The Commission adopts the Negative Declaration on IS-80-26 as presented and finds that this project will have no significant environmental impact. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners Pressutti, Stevenson, Smith, G. Johnson and O'Neill NOES: Commissioners Williams and R. Johnson ABSENT: None Commissioner G. Johnson asked if it would be possible to continue this until the Commission could look into school playground standards. Mr. Peterson concurred it would be possible to continue the item but for the relatively small addition he did not see the need to do so. -4- November 14, 1979 Commissioner Pressutti pointed out that the request is for Sunday School use at this time and the Commission cannot project the use for anything other than Sunday School~ Chairman Smith pointed out that construction of the building would remove some of the area that is presently available. MS (R. Johnson-O'Neill) Based on the findings stated in the staff report, the Commission approves the request for a variance, subject to the maintenance of a minimum setback of 5 feet from the west property line and the requirement for site plan and architectural approval, including landscaping, by the Planning Department. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners Pressutti, O'Neill, Smith, R. Johnson and Williams NOES: Commissioners G. Johnson and Stevenson ABSENT: None 3. PUBLIC HEARING: Tentative subdivision map PCS-80-1 for conversion of 47 apartment units at 695 Sea Vale Avenue into condominiums, Sea Vale Condominiums Supervisor of Current Planning Lee noted the location of the 46 unit apartment project at the corner of Sea Vale and Woodlawn. Although a portion of the site is subject to inundation in a 100 year storm, that area is used for parking underneath the buildings. This apartment project was constructed about a year ago and in October, 1979 was presented to the Design Review Committee for consideration of the proposed conversion to condominiums. That committee required three minor modifications relating to expansion of patio area, installation of gates on trash enclosure, and the addition of plywood siding and trim to some elevations of the buildings. The project meets or exceeds the requirements of the code with regard to storage space and parking. It is recommended that the map be approved subject to the granting of a street tree easement and to the requirement that the two bedroom units be assigned a carport with storage. This being the time and place as advertised, the public hearing was opened. Syd Xinos of Schwerin, Xinos and Associates, 1400 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, expressed concurrence with the staff's recommendations and offered to answer any questions from the Commission. As no one else wished to speak, the public hearing was closed. MS (Stevenson-R. Johnson) Based on the findings stated in the staff report, the Commission recommends that the City Council approve the tentative subdivision map for Chula Vista Tract 80-1, Sea Vale Condominium, subject to two conditions as recommended in the report. The motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners Stevenson, R. Johnson, G. Johnson, Pressutti, Smith and Williams NOES: Commissioner O'Neill ABSENT: None -5- November 14, 1979 Commissioner O'Neill advised that despite the adoption of regulations governing condominiums, he cannot support the conversion of rental units into condominiums. 4. PUBLIC HEARING: Tentative subdivision map PCS-80-7 for development of new 38 unit condominium in 500 block of Moss Street, Casa De La Ciudad Supervisor of Current Planning Lee noted that this site, located on the north side of Moss Street, east of Broadway, is presently vacant. The applicant proposes to construct 38 one-bedroom units. The project has been approved by the Design Review Committee. The plans include carports over 25 of the parking spaces to provide additional storage space. 106 cubic feet of storage space will be provided adjacent to each unit with the remaining storage in the carports and in a storage room; the total storage is in excess of the 150 cu. ft. required for each unit. Mr. Lee called attention to three conditions relating to relocation of an existing fire hydrant, granting the City a 9 foot wide drainage easement, and construction of one half the width of the drainage channel adjacent to the property. This being the time and place as advertised, the public hearing was opened. Robert Ramsey, 615 Ash Street, San Diego, civil engineer, expressed concurrence with the staff recommendations and with the recommended conditions of approval. Commissioner R. Johnson asked if in designing a new project it is not possible to provide all of the storage adjacent to the units. Gene Cipparone of Brian Paul & Associates, 1250 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, advised that this is a very tight site and in complying with all of the city requirements for patio area and setbacks it was not possible to get all of the required storage adjacent to the units. MSUC (G. Johnson-Stevenson) The Commission finds that this project will have no significant environmental impact and adopts the Negative Declaration on IS-79-30. MSUC (G. Johnson-Stevenson) Based on the findings stated in the staff report the Commission recommends that the City Council approve the tentative subdivision map for Chula Vista Tract 80-7, Casa De La Ciudad, subject to three conditions reco~nended in the report. Commissioner R. Johnson commented that on new condominium construction projects he would like to see all of the storage space adjacent to the units. 5. PUBLIC HEARING: Proposed amendment PCA-80-1 to Municipal Code to give Design Review Committee jurisdiction over plans for commercial and industrial development in "P" Precise Plan Modifying District; also consideration of Commercial Principles Addendum to the Design Manual Director of Planning Peterson reported that for the past year and a half the Design Review Committee has had the responsibility for reviewing plans in -6- November 14, 1979 R-3 zones. The Booz, Allen & Hamilton report contained a recommendation that the Design Review Committee be given authority for acting on commercial and industrial development plans where the "P" Modifying District has been applied. In May of this year the Planning Commission expressed concurrence with that recommendation and directed preparation of an ordinance to change the code. In addition to the ordinance, the staff has prepared additions to the Design Manual relating to commercial development. It is recommended that the ordinance and the addendum to the Design Manual be adopted. Commissioner Pressutti suggested that such terms as resurgent urbanity and precinctual concept would need to be added to the list of definitions if they were to have meaning to the lay person. Chairman Smith questioned the value or desirability of including illustrative graphics in the Design Manual. Mr. Peterson felt the graphics do serve a useful purpose to developers in designing structures that the city would approve. Commissioner O'Neill expressed the concern that the inclusion of such pictures might rule out innovation if developers try to conform to what is shown. Mr. Peterson pointed out that the department does not worry about developers who have a sense of innovation, their concern is over developers who do not have such ability, and sometimes need some help. Commissioner R. Johnson noted that some of the examples of poor design are recognizable as coming from neighboring communities, which he felt is not appropriate. Commissioner Williams suggested that Section 19.14.282 could also be expanded to include commercial and industrial review. Mr. Peterson concurred that the addition of plans for commercial and industrial development in the "P" Modifying District should be included in the section on the duties and responsibilities of the Design Review Committee. Commissioner Williams noted that consideration by the Design Review Committee does not involve a public hearing and he felt there might be cases where the design would be of public concern. Current Planning Supervisor Lee pointed out that the only commercial and industrial plans to be considered by the Design Review Committee are those where the "P" Modifying District has been attached and frequently guidelines for a particular site have been established by the Planning Commission and City Council at a public hearing, to cover such items as sign criteria, setbacks and access. This being the time and place as advertised, the public hearing was opened. As no one wished to speak, the public hearing was closed. -7- November 14, 1979 MSUC (Pressutti-R. Johnson) The Commission finds that in accordance with the draft Negative Declaration on IS-80-24 the proposed zoning text amendments and design manual addendum will not have a significant impact upon the environment, and adopts the Negative Declaration. MS (Pressutti-R. Johnson) The Commission recommends that the City Council enact the proposed amendments to Chapters 19.14 and 19.56 to the Municipal Code. In discussion of the motion Chairman Smith asked if that satisfies Commissioner William's question. Commissioner Williams advised he would not try to wordsmith it now, but he has raised the question and if the staff feels Section 19.14.582 should also be modified, they can take care of it. The motion carried unanimously. MS (G. Johnson-SteveDson) The Design Manual be approved, with the pictures on Page 0 and P changed, and all pictures of buildings outside of the City of Chula Vista defined as being poo~ design be deleted. MS (Smith-Stevenson) The motion be amended to delete all pictures. The motion for the amendment failed to pass by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners Smith, Stevenson, O~Neill NOES: Commissioners Williams, R. Johnson, Pressutti and G. Johnson The main motion carried by the following vote: AYES: Commissioners G. Johnson, R. Johnson, O'Neill, Stevenson and Williams NOES: Commissioners Pressutti and Smith Commissioner Pressutti explained that he had voted "no" because he felt that in deleting some of the pictures the Commission had not given the staff guidance or criteria concerning pictures that would be acceptable. Mr. Peterson indicated the staff did not need anything more definitive and will come back to the Planning Comission with other pictures for further consideration. 6. Report on site location for Chula Vista Transit Center Director of Planning Peterson reported that some months ago the Planning Commission found that the MTDB light rail station at "H" and Woodlawn would be in conformance with the General Plan. Over the period of the last year the Council has studied the question of where the City Transit Center should be located. A transit consultant was hired to investigate and make a recommendation on that question. It has recently been the consensus that the transit center should be within the site of the MTDB station. The transit center would be where all bus routes begin and end. The City Council has requested the Planning Commission's recommendation in this regard, including whether there is a need for an amendment to the General Plan or rezoning of the -8- November 14, 1979 property. The staff does not see the need for a change in the General Plan or the zoning at this time, although it may be appropriate to observe the activity in the area in the future as there may be a need for a specific plan to foster redevelopment. MSUC (O'Neill-Pressutti) The Commission approves the location of the Chula Vista Transit Center at the H Street-Woodlawn Avenue site of the MTDB station. MSUC (O'Neill-Pressutti) The Commission recommends that the City Council request the staff to continue to work with MTDB in this area and to evaluate the impact of the subject transit site's development upon peripheral land use, circulation, residential enjoyment, and environmental quality and report back to the Planning Commission and Council after the light rail train is operating, or at an earlier time if events make this advisable. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS City Engineer Lippitt advised that Mr. Bob Robenh~qer of MTDB is in the audience and could answer any questions the Commission may have regarding the light rail station. In response to questions from the Commission, Mr. Robenhymer advised that the light rail system should be in operation by July, 1981. He further explained that the station platform will be about 12 feet wide and extend 360 feet long adjacent to the rails. The shelter and ticket station will be about 30 feet wide and extend 96 feet within the 360 foot platform. He advised that about one-third of the site would be devoted to the Chula Vista Transit Center, and this would be adjacent to "H" Street. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Director of Planning Peterson noted that the study session which would have fallen on the night before Thanksgiving was cancelled by the Commission. The next business meeting will be held on November 28. COMMISSION COMMENTS Commissioner G. Johnson asked if the December study session might include a review of standards for school sites and play grounds, and a comparison of those requirements for private schools with public schools~ also standards for day care facilities in residential a~eas. ADJOURNMENT Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 9;07 p~m. Respectfully submitted, Helen Mapes, Secretary