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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Comm min 1994/10/26 MINUTES OF A REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING OF THE CITY PLANNING COMMISSION OF CHULA VISTA, CALIFORNIA Council Chambers 7:05 p.m. Public Services Building Wednesday, October 26, 1994 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Vice Chair Ray, Commissioners Fuller, Martin, Moot, Salas, and Tarantino COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Commissioner Tuchscher (excused) STAFF PRESENT: Assistant Planning Director Lee, Principal Planner Griffin, Sr. Civil Engineer Ullrich, Contract Attorney Basil MOTION TO EXCUSE MSC (Ray/Fuller) 6-0 to excuse Commissioner Tuchscher who was out of town on business. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Vice Chair Ray acted as Chair in the absence of Commissioner Tuchscher. Chairman Pro Tem Ray led in the pledge of allegiance to the flag and a moment of silent prayer. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Chairman Pro Tem Ray reviewed the composition of the Planning Commission, its responsibilities and the format of the meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - MSC (Fuller/Martin) 6-0 (Tuchscher excused) to approve the Planning Commission minutes of September 28, 1994. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS - Ms. Patricia Barker, 506 Le May Avenue, San Diego, requested information regarding conditional use permits. She was interested in operating a used baby clothes and furniture store in Chula Vista. Assistant Planning Director Lee explained the process and asked her to contact staff the following day for further information. PC Minutes -2- October 26, 1994 With the Commissioners' concurrence, Chairman Pro Tem Ray took Item 4 out of order. ITEM 4: PCM-95-07; ZONING INTERPRETATION FOR WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND RECYCLING FACILITY Resource Recovery Techniques, Inc. Chair Pro Tem Ray stated that both the City and the applicant were agreeable to a continuance to the meeting of November 9, 1994, in order to discuss further options with staff. Matt Peterson, Peterson & Price, 530 B Street, Suite 2300, San Diego, representing Resoume Recovery Techniques, stated that they would like to explore a suggested option, and come back in two weeks. MSC (Ray/Martin) 6-0 (Commissioner Tuchscher excused) to continue PCM-95-07 to the Planning Commission meeting of November 9, 1994. Assistant Planning Director Lee asked that Item 3 be considered next, since staff was recommending a continuance of that item, as well. ITEM 3: PUBLIC HEARING: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT PCC-95-09; REQUEST TO CONSTRUCT A 16-UNIT APARTMENT PROJECT AT 588 'L' STREET IN THE C-O ZONE - San Diego County Housing Authority MSC (Fuller/Martin) 6-0 (Commissioner Tuchscher excused) to continue PCC-95-09 to the Planning Commission meeting of November 9, 1994. ITEM 1: PUBLIC HEARING: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT PCC-94-47; REQUEST TO ADD A SELF-SERVICE CAR WASH TO THE EXISTING SERVICE STATION LOCATED AT 501 TELEGRAPH CANYON ROAD - Shell Oil Company Principal Planner Griffin noted that this item had been originally presented to the Planning Commission on September 14, and public testimony had been taken. The project was continued in order to address concerns which had been raised by staff, Commission members, and the public regarding traffic and circulation. Mr. Griffin stated the concerns which had been raised and showed how those issues had been addressed. With the measures taken on the site, and the endorsement of the Safety Commission and the City Traffic Engineer, staff recommended that the project be approved, subject to the conditions listed in the Planning Commission resolution. Commissioner Moot, regarding the issue of an easement to be used for egress, asked if the shopping center owner had indicated that the major tenants would not agree to the easement and asked if they had given an explanation as to their disagreement. Mr. Griffin said the major PC Minutes -3- October 26, 1994 tenants had the ability in their leases to approve any kind of change to the site--configuration of circulation, parking, etc. It was not formally proposed to the tenants in writing, but based on Mr. Poplowski's (manager of Canyon Plaza Shopping Center) years of experience with the tenants, they would not approve the easement and it would be fruitless to pursue it. Mr. Griff'm noted that Mr. Cox, the applicant, and City staff had tried to obtain approval of the easement, but to no avail. Commissioner Ray asked why the wall was put up initially. Staff could not recall why the wall was constructed. This being the time and the place as advertised, the public hearing was opened. Greg Cox, 3130 Bonita Road, Suite 200, CV, requested a total of 15 minutes for an organized presentation. Mr. Cox stated the applicant had spoken with Mr. Poplowski regarding an easement, including payment for the easement. The easement had been rejected. Mr. Poplowski had spoken with the lending institution, who had indicated that the way the leases were constructed, the tenants had a veto on any modification. At least one of the major tenants had indicated to Mr. Poplowski that they would not okay the easement. The applicant had discussed the possibility of leasing some parking spaces to which Mr. Poplowski seemed agreeable. This would be on a month-to-month basis. Mr. Cox also noted that there was no wall, but a gradation of about 1 ft. He then introduced Mark Hayden of Tate & Associates, the architect for the project. Mark Hayden, Tate & Associates, 3665 Ruffin Road, SD, explained the changes which had been made to the plans since the last Planning Commission meeting, and showed how the concerns had been addressed. Mr. Cox returned to the podium, compared the carwash to the carwash on Bonita Road, and noted that the equipment to be installed in the proposed facility included a blower which allowed a faster wash, which lessened the stacking problem and also eliminated the problem of water damage to the streets. He stated that there was a condition placed on the project that would indicate if there was water damage to the streets, the City would have recourse to come back against the operator of the facility to seek improvements of the public right-of-way, if that became a problem. Mr. Cox said the existing level of service would not become adversely impacted. He then introduced Rod Bisharet, the owner of the Telegraph Canyon Auto Care Center. Rod Bisharet, 6345 Lake Athabaska, SD, stated that the carwash would improve the volume of his business and would make them more competitive in their prices. Several attempts had been made to obtain the easement. Over 350 customers had signed a petition in favor of the carwash; no one had expressed disapproval. Mr. Cox returned to the podium and introduced Richard Zanzoni, the real estate representative for Shell Oil Company, Southern California District, who was available for questions. Mr. Cox PC Minutes -4- October 26, 1994 noted the benefit to the community of having an additional carwash, and the additional landscaping. He stated there were requirements as conditions of approval to dedicate an additional 7' of the entire frontage on Telegraph Canyon Road for future road widening, and that an easement be provided to the City of Chula Vista for the drainage channel. Commissioner Tarantino asked for clarification of the hours of operation. Mr. Hayden stated it would be from dawn to dusk. Commissioner Tarantino questioned whether trucks would be able to accommodate pick-up trucks. Mr. Hayden answered that it would take something as large as a Suburban. Mr. Cox stated that the carwash would be operated by conveyor belt. The car would be driven to an entrance and hooked to the conveyor. The driver would stay in the car. Mr. Hayden said there would be no vacuuming. The carwash would stack the cars in the carwash approximately 3' from each other; because of the blowers, there would be no reason to towel dry the cars; the Botts dots would vibrate the car enough to shake any excess water off the cars. Commissioner Salas congratulated Mr. Bisharet for doing his homework and trying to meet the City's requirements. No one else wishing to speak, the public hearing was closed. Commissioner Martin felt the applicant had done a good job; he did not feel stacking was going to be a big problem. MS (Martin/Moot) to adopt resolution PCC-94-47 approving the project, based on the findings and subject to the conditions therein. Principal Planner Griff'm stated that the Code would not allow the carwash to operate before 7:00 a.m. He asked that the resolution be adjusted to show the times of operation to begin at 7:00 a.m. to dusk. Commissioner Ray noted that the staff report allowed for an independent review of site conditions after six months of operation to determine if further measures were required, such as restricting hours, sales, etc. He asked what the City would impose, if the other measures were required. Mr. Griffin replied that one of the options would be to close off one of the drives if an access point became a particular problem; or restricting the hours of the carwash to non-peak hours of the service station in the a.m. and p.m. peak travel times. Commissioner Ray asked if it was at the discretion of the City what the restrictions would be. Mr. Griffin said that if staff and Mr. Bisharet could not mutually agree on a solution, it would probably be back before the Commission to impose that as a condition on the permit. PC Minutes -5- October 26, 1994 Mr. Cox stated that although the carwash would initially probably be free with a fill-up, there would ultimately be a charge implemented for the use of the carwash, discounted based upon the amount of gas purchased. The easiest solution to lessen stacking problems would be to increase the charge for the carwash. VOTE: 6-0 (Commissioner Tuchscher excused) to approve. ITEM 2: PUBLIC HEARING: CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT PCC-95-13; REQUEST TO LOCATE A THRIFT STORE SELLING USED CLOTHING IN AN EXISTING COMMERCIAL BUILDING AT 366 BROADWAY - Salvation Army Commissioner Salas asked to be excused from the dias. She stated she was president of a private non-profit organization which raises scholarship funds. One of the people objecting to the project had recently made a donation to the scholarship fund. She had never met the person, but recognized the donation to the scholarship fund. So there was no appearance of impropriety, she wished to be excused. Principal Planner Griffin presented the staff report, and noted that staff recommended approval. Two letters of objection had been received from adjacent mobilehome parks. The concerns were that a thrift store might result in a deterioration in the neighborhood--image and property values- -and the potential for loitering and traffic. Mr. Griffin stated that with the conditions included in the proposal, the site should be adequate to handle the Salvation Army store at the retail parking ratio; the circulation functioned well; the buildings were in good condition and the proposal was to upgrade the parking area surface and the landscaping, and staff did not believe there would be a problem with image and deterioration of the neighborhood. Mr. Griffin noted that a memo to the Commission had suggested an addition to condition 'c' to clarify the condition. Commissioner Martin asked if there had been any problems with the store at Broadway and Anita regarding loitering. Mr. Griffin was not aware of any but had not checked with the Police Department. This being the time and the place as advertised, the public hearing was opened. Greg Cox, 3130 Bonita Road, Suite 200, Chula Vista, representing Bill Lynch, the purchaser of the property, asked for 15 minutes to speak since it was an organized presentation. He stated they supported staff's recommendation. Mr. Cox stated that the Salvation Army thrift stores support their drug and alcohol programs. It was a relocation of the facility located at 1655 Broadway. The rationale for the relocation was an economic one; the rent for the facility at this location was cheaper which would allow Salvation Army to put more of their money into the programs they had developed. Mr. Cox noted that there was a 7' zoning wall which completely surrounded the site; the landscaping would be improved; the parking lot would be recoated and PC Minutes -6- October 26, 1994 restriped to bring it up to City standards; he felt the problems of vagrants camping on the site would be improved with the building being occupied. Regarding the concerns of the neighbors regarding the decline of the neighborhood, Mr. Cox felt it depended on the property owner and the maintenance of the facilities, and that the Salvation Army would not allow a poor operation to exist with deterioration of surrounding properties but would be an enhancement over the current situation. Mr. Cox then introduced Major Robert Bodine of the Salvation Army. Major Robert Bodine, The Salvation Army, 1335 Broadway, San Diego, introduced the current and previous managers of the Chula Vista store, who both live in Chula Vista. Major Bodine said he understood the concerns of the residents regarding image; there had been no trouble at any of their stores other than one robbery; all of their stores were clean; the proceeds from the stores completely financed their drug and alcohol programs. Commissioner Martin asked if the vehicles would come off Broadway into the parking lot along with automobiles; how would deliveries be made. Major Bodine stated there was a delivery area at the back of the store off the street. Mr. Cox indicated where the tracks would be coming in and noted they would be screened off from the street. Jerry Fick, 352 Broadway, CV 91910, representing Rose Arbor Mobilehome Park, stated he owned the property to the north and west of the project site. He was not comfortable fighting the Salvation Army; they are a fine organization. However, he strongly felt the project would run the neighborhood down; the sale of used merchandise does not do a business district any good. He strongly opposed. Commissioner Fuller asked if Mr. Fick had ever visited an existing store, or any of the other thrift stores in Chula Vista currently in operation. Mr. Fick answered affirmatively. Commissioner Fuller asked if Mr. Fick felt the area of "L" and Broadway had deteriorated because of the thrift store. Mr. Fick said he did not feel the thrift stores were conducive to good merchandising. He said he could not really answer the question, but he did not feel they would be an asset in a business district. No one else wishing to speak, the public hearing was closed. Commissioner Fuller commented that she had visited the site; it had been unoccupied and neglected for some time; the whole section of Broadway from "G" Street north to "E" was in sad repair. If she were living in a mobilehome near there, she would be concerned that it would remain vacant and unkept. She felt most of the thrift stores in the South Bay area and those in the San Diego area were very innovative in merchandising. The Salvation Army store in South Chula Vista was very well presented. She thought it would be an asset to the neighborhood; did not think the sale of used merchandise anywhere in the City of Chula Vista where it is properly zoned was a detriment to other businesses. She suggested a used merchandise district in that area of Broadway. PC Minutes -7- October 26, 1994 Chair Ray asked, assuming the other vacam building would be leased or purchased for automotive repair or merchandising at some time in the future, if the traffic they would generate would exceed the number of spaces near the store from, and what mitigation would be proposed in order to separate the two businesses. He was concerned that there may be too few parking spaces for the automotive business. Principal Planner Griffin stated that if the Salvation Army thrift store was extremely successful and another successful use was in the other building, there may not be enough on-site parking and there may be some spillage to on-street parking. The Code required parking will be provided, but there was no guarantee that it would be adequate at all times. The property owner could designate a certain number of spaces for each use to keep it balanced. Chair Ray stated these were two emirely differem uses in terms of the proposed use of the vacant facility, and asked if that created any type of conflict. Mr. Griffin replied it would not from the City's poim of view. Mr. Griffin stated Major Bodine may have a commem regarding that question. Major Bodine referred to a similar store in Spring Valley which was next to an automotive shop, and said there had been no problem. Mr. Griffin noted that the auto installation type of use could occupy that space as a permitted use in that zone. A heavier use, such as auto repair, was a conditional use and would be subject to review and consideration. Chair Ray noted that was the intent for amending condition 'c'. Mr. Griffin concurred. Assistant Planning Director Lee poimed out that there were other options. A furniture store or appliance store which requires less parking per Code could easily fit into that building, and probably would be more in keeping with the Salvation Army operation. Commissioner Moot saw the thrift shop as a benefit to the neighborhood, to get some business back in some vacant sites, and an opportunity to begin improving the area. MS (Fuller/Moot) 5-0-1-1 (Commissioner Tuchscher excused; Commissioner Salas abstained) to adopt resolution PCC-95-13 approving the proposal based on the findings and subject to the conditions therein, including the amended Item 'c'. Commissioner Salas returned to the dias at this time. OTHER RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL ON SANDAG'S DRAFT SERIES 8 POPULATION AND HOUSING FORECAST AND LAND USE DISTRIBUTION ELEMENT Associate Planner Batchelder gave a brief staff report, noting that a workshop had been held with a presentation by SANDAG staff. Based on that, staff had outlined some staff comments about the Forecast and the Land Use Distribution Element. He asked that the Planning PC Minutes -8- October 26, 1994 Commission make a formal motion to recommend that the Council endorse the SANDAG Series 8 Population and Housing Forecast and Land Use Distribution Element consistent with the staff comments. MSC (Fuller/Salas) 6-0 (Commissioner Tuchscher excused) that the Planning Commission recommend approval of the SANDAG Draft Series 8 Population and Housing Forecast and Land Use Distribution Element documents to the City Council, subject to staff comments. DIRECTOR'S REPORT Assistant Planning Director Lee reported on Council action occurring since the last Planning Commission meeting. In addition, Mr. Lee noted that the Planning Commission had been given an informational item regarding the Channelside Disposition and Development Agreement which had been conditionally approved by the Redevelopment Agency and, therefore, an addendum to the Final EIR was required. The Council had set the Channelside project for consideration on November 1, along with the Moss Street vacation. A copy of the Development Agreement had been included in the Commission packet for information. Mr. Lee noted that Dave Gustafson, Community Development Department, had agreed to give a presentation regarding the affordable housing program at the next Commission workshop to be held November 16. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS - None. ADJOURNMENT at 8:40 p.m. to the Regular Business Meeting of November 9, 1994, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Nancy Ripl~, S~cret~ry Planning Commission (m:\home\planning\nancy\ 10-26-94,min