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02/20/2003 c►Tr 0 GRAND reRR c Community and Economic Development 4q GRAND TERRACE PLANNING COMMISSION Department MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 20, 2003 The regular meetina of the Grand Terrace Planning Commission was called to order at the Grand Terrace Civic Center, 22795 Barton Road, Grand Terrace, California, on February 20. 2003, at 7:00 p.m., by Chairperson Doug Wilson. PRESENT: Doug Wilson, Chairman Matthew Addington, Vice Chairman Brian Whitley, Commissioner Robert Bidney, Commissioner Tom Comstock, Commissioner Gary Koontz, Community Development Director John Lampe, Associate Planner Jo Verhelle, City Manager's Assistant ABSENT: None 7:00 P.M. CONVENE SITE,AND ARCHITECTURE REVIEW BOARD/ PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING • Call to Order • Pledge of Allegiance led by Commissioner Whitley • Roll Call • Public address to Commission shall be limited to three minutes unless extended by the Chairman. Should you desire to make a longer presentation, please make written request to be agendized to the Director of Community and Economic Development. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION: NONE 22795 Barton Road • Grand Terrace, California 92313-5295 • (909) 824-6621 ITEMS: 1. MINUTES Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of January 16, 2003 RECOMMENDATION: Approval MOTION: PC-07-2003 Vice Chair Addington made a motion to approve the Planning Commission Meeting Minutes dated January 16, 2003. Commissioner Bidney seconded the motion MOTION VOTE: Approved 4=0-1-0 PC-07-2003 Commissioner Comstock abstained. 2. SA-02-12, E-02-016 Site and Architectural Review to construct a single story, 3,179 square foot residence with 2,091 square feet of livable space and a 1,088 square foot, 4 car garage APPLICANT: Al Aguirre Architect LOCATION: Vacant '/ acre lot located on the west side of La Cadena Drive approximately 500 feet north of Palm Avenue RECOMMENDATION: Open the Public Hearing, receive testimony, close the Public Hearing, and approve subject to conditions of approval. Planning Technician Jeff Gollihar presented the staff report for this agenda item. This property is located on the West side of La Cadena approximately 500 ft. from the intersection of Palm and La Cadena. This site has a General Plan designation which allows for a single-family residence and is zoned R1-20 with an agricultural overlay. This allows for a single-family residence with a minimum of 1,300 sq. ft. of livable area on a minimum 20,000 sq. ft. lot size. The site has an agricultural overlay, which allows for such things as small orchards, larger farm animals, etc. The residence is a single-family custom home with approximately 3,179 sq. ft. including the garage and living space. This meets the minimum requirement for the municipal code and the zoning ordinance. Exhibit 2 2 is the site plan, which shows the location of the proposed residence on the lot. The residence is approximately 3,179 sq. ft. with 2,091 of livable space and 1,088 for a 4-car garage. It will be built on a .49-acre lot and cover approximately 15% of the. lot. This is well under the 40% maximum coverage allowed in an R- 120 zoning. The residence is set back 50 ft. from the property line so as not to interfere with the view of the adjacent neighbor to the north. The floor plan for this house has 2 'h baths, 4 bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, laundry room and garage. The north elevation will be approximately 84 ft. long. The roofline along with false windows on the garage portion have been designed to add an architectural relief. The roof is made of terra cotta, finished with stucco and wood trim. The landscape- plan shows a minimum amount of landscaping and more will be added along the northerly portion of the property as a screen to the resident to the north. The landscape plans must be submitted and approved by the Community Development Director prior to issuance of an occupancy permit. The preliminary drainage.plan shows the flow from the rear to the front of the property, sheeting off into the public right-of-way. The domestic water easement has been located and all concerns about the easement have been met. Staff finds that this project meets with the Municipal Code and meets all of the findings in the zoning code required for a new residence. Therefore, Staff is recommending approval of the attached resolution approving SA-02-12 and E- 02-016. Chairman Wilson invited the applicant to come to the podium and address his project. Al Aguirre, Aguirre and Assoc., 222 Kansas Ave., Suite D, Riverside, CA, 92507, - said that they concurred with all of the conditions and that the present landscape plan was conceptual only and that a working drawing will be presented. Commissioner Addington commented that it looked like a nice project. MOTION MADE: Motion made by Commissioner Bidney PC-08-2003 to approve subject to Staff recommendations. Seconded by Vice-Chairman Addington _MOTION VOTE: Approved 5-0-0-0 PC-09-2003 3. CUP-99-01-A-3 Application to extend the time limits for Swertfeger's Equipment to complete various improvements required by the original approval of the Planning Commission. APPLICANT: Thatcher Engineering & Associates, Inc., on behalf of Swertfeger's Equipment 3 LOCATION: 12438 Michigan Street, Grand Terrace RECOMMENDATION: Open the Pubic Hearing, receive testimony, close the Public Hearing, and approve subject to conditions of.approval John Lampe presented the Staff Report. On January 17, 2003, Thatcher Engineering filed an application on behalf of Swertfeger's Equipment requesting that a January 18th, 2003 deadline for completion of certain improvements, approved under the original conditional use permit, be extended an additional year until January 18, 2004. On January 18, .2001 the Planning Commission approved the original request to improve Mr. Swertfeger's property with a Conditional Use Permit to allow for the sale of new and used trailers and a Site and Architectural Review application for the improvements that are going to be put on the property. The site plan presented to the Commission showed the improvements including paved parking areas, interior paved driveways, landscaping and two proposed 6,000 sq. ft. metal buildings located in the southwest quadrant of the property, along the southerly property line. On two prior occasions (August 2001 and February 2002) the Planning Commission had approved requests for additional time to meet the original deadlines that were imposed. A letter from Mr. Swertfeger was attached to the Staff Report explaining why additional time is needed to complete the improvements. In addition since the last time this matter was before the ` Commission there 'has been additional things that have occurred that are in _. conformance with the original approval. The original site had three individual parcels. A lot merger was filed and approved by the City to combine those into one. Engineering plans for street improvements along Michigan Avenue were submitted and approved by the City. The public works permit has been issued so that that work can take place. Grading plans were submitted to the City for review and were approved and a grading permit issued. However, the extended deadline said that these improvements had to be completed by January of this year. Staff feels that Mr. Swertfeger has shown a good faith effort to meet the conditions of the original project. There has been steady progress although it has taken longer that both Mr. Swertferger or Staff thought it would, Staff expects that with a small business loan in place now that Mr. Swertferger feels that rapid progress will be made and the completion date is scheduled to be July 2003 but would like an extension to January 2004 just in case. Vice-Chairman Addington inquired as to the number of extensions that Mr. Swertferger had had and if Mr. Swertferger was serious about this project. Associate Planner Lampe replied that there had been 2, prior to tonight's request: August 2001, and February 2002 and that staff feels Mr. Swertferger is serious about going forward with this project. Chairman Wilson invited Mr. Swertferger to come to the podium and speak in favor of his application. 4 Lee Swertferger, 12438 Michigan-St. said that he had some difficulty, due to two _.. companies that went bankrupt and he had no money and also last year was a : bad year for new trailer sales. Mr. Swertferger further stated that his business is doing well now due to used trailer sales and the parts department. His territory has also been greatly expanded which has helped. Commissioner Comstock asked about the noise from the air chisel used for repairs at the business and noted that he can hear the noise in his home and also, several of his neighbors complain about the noise. Mr. Swertferger replied that the purpose of the new buildings (with masonry walls) would be to put the repairs inside which would cut down the noise. Associate Planner Lampe further explained that there is a standard condition that is imposed on manufacturing type projects which states that if the City receives two or more complaints from nearby residents regarding noise within any 6 month period the applicant is required to submit an acoustical study to see what can be done to mitigate that noise. Associate Planner Lampe further stated that he has received only one complaint regarding Mr. Swertferger's business and that was in regard to parking and it was quickly taken care of. Director Koontz added that those types of complaints would go to Code Enforcement and no complaints have come in regarding the noise at Swertfeger's. Vice Chairman Addington wanted reassurance that the applicant and his contractors are on,schedule to finish in July 2003 and the applicant replied that that was correct. Commissioner Bidney asked about the timetable for the moving of the Edison power poles and Mr. Swertferger replied that he did not have a timetable. Director Koontz will write a letter to Edison to move the poles on behalf of the City and he plans to do within the next couple of days. Commissioner Comstock inquired about the increase in business bringing an increase in truck traffic along Michigan St. and Mr. Swertferger replied that they are hoping to increase their sales not their repair activity. Commissioner Comstock reminded of Staff about the plans for a bike lane along. Michigan and safety issues if there is an increase in traffic. Commissioner Whitley asked about the time frame specifically the improvements that cannot be done until the power poles are moved and Mr. Swertfeger replied that he is going forward with the concrete work in the front and it is just the paving that has to wait. Commissioner Whitley asked what a reasonable time frame would be for Edison to move the poles would be. Director Koontz replied that it could be a matter of weeks or months. 5 MOTION MADE: Motion made by Commissioner Whitley PC-09-2003 Seconded by Commissioner Bidney DISCUSSION: Chairman Wilson noted that his main question had been if there had been any complaints and it appears that the only complaint that ever happened was previous of the last action so realistically it seems that enough good faith has been show to warrant an extension and Chair Wilson expressed appreciation for Mr. Swertferger's cooperation. MOTION VOTE: Approved 5-0-0-0 PC-09-2003 ADJOURN SITE AND ARCHITECTURE REVIEW BOARD/PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING CONVENE PUBLIC WORKSHOP SESSION • Information to Commissioners 1) Public workshop to solicit Planning Commission and public input regarding the future development of Petta Park as a passive park designed to be compatible with the adjacent Senior Center on Grand Terrace Road. Director Koontz explained to the Commission that Petta Park is to be a passive park recreation area. The City has hired a consultant to work with staff in the preparation of a conceptual plan. A public workshop was held on January 28 to solicit input. Eight local residents attended the workshop. Staff is asking for public input and input from the Commission. All of the input will be presented to the City Council. Once the Council approves the conceptual plan, Staff would bring the design back to the Commission as a site and architectural review. Director Koontz reminded the Commissioners of the Site and Architectural Review performed on Rollins Park that resulted in an award of a $201,000 State Parks grant. All bids have been received for the Rollins Park project and the award of the bid will be at the City Council next Thursday with the ground breaking in about two weeks. Since this is only a public workshop, Staff is not requesting that the Commission take any formal actions. Director Koontz introduced Steve Berry, Assistant City Manager, who gave further information on the project. Mr. Berry informed the Commission that originally the land that is now designated as Petta Park was to be used for the Child Care Center. That is why the parking lot is so large at the Senior Center. The next concept for this-property was a project to be called Heritage Youth Park. As proposed, it would include five historic houses and buildings that 6 would reflect the heritage of the Inland Empire. The structures would be located along a street through the center and would have the appearance of the area about 100 years ago. The present design is a visionary passive park that might be used by the senior population or residents who wish to walk and relax. It will be called Blue Mountain Gardens at Petta Park. Staff has met with seniors at the Senior Center regarding the Gardens and they offered valuable input. Since all present City park funding is committed to Rollins Park, this park will be funded with grants. The City is able to use CDBG Block Grant money of about $56,000 per year toward the Senior Center and adjacent park. The park will be*designed so that we can apply for different types of grant money. The park will have a maze, which will open up the possibility of applying for an Alzheimer's grant. Such mazes are often. used for Alzheimer's patients. There is an area that will have the existing walnut tree along with new citrus trees planted in conjunction with UCR, which works with all types of hybrid citrus trees. It is planned that the park will be completely enclosed with wrought iron fencing making the park secure from vandalism. There may also be alarms and video cameras that would trigger the police in the event of illegal entry. There are areas for things such as art classes, award ceremonies, etc. Several different types of gardens are planned as well as a community Christmas tree for an annual tree lighting ceremony. A remembrance garden may have two large trees such as Italian cypress, memorializing 9/11. Out fire department has a piece of the World Trade Center that might be donated to us and it is thought that a memorial to the Challenger and Columbia space shuttles might be nice to have. We have asked the community for their input and we are now asking for the Commission's and then we will go to the City Council. Chairman Wilson invited public comments at this time. Raynell English, 22600 Brentwood St. Presented color photographs of the view that her home currently has. She has lived in the house for 13 months and was told [by the City] when purchasing the house that there would never be anything but a passive park on the property in the back. She has no problem with a passive park as long as it does not obstruct the views. Issues raised include: Has a 4 ft. fence in the back yard and the rest is open so anything over 4 ft. will hide the view. • Doesn't,want any tall trees, no transients using the bathrooms, and concerned about the Edison easement making an alley behind their house and what that brings. Concerned about trash and "gang-:bangers". Her biggest concern at the last meeting was that no one on this committee lives in Grand Terrace. She feels that this is the best City in California and that it could very easily`get lost. Edward Hogue, 22594 Brentwood St., a resident there since 1989 and since he has been a resident there he has been told that the property is zoned for a passive park. • Mr. Hogue would like there to not be any tall trees or shrubs right outside his fence but thinks that the passive park is a great idea. 7 • Regarding the 10 ft. easement for the Edison Rd. he realizes that we need to provide them something but wonders if there is a fence needed outside of the - - existing residents' fences. If the front is secured with wrought iron the only way someone could get into the park would be to run through one of the resident's yards. He would like there to not be a fence because it creates a corridor, which brings problems. • Concerned with the restrooms. Mr. Hogue doesn't want the park to start out nice and then turn into something different- has seen a lot of projects do that. Also, if someone could check with Edison they might underground the pole line along the back fence under a beautification project, which would help the whole area there. Daniel Berlinger, 22624 Brentwood (18 years) loves the view and thinks the park is a fabulous idea. Would like it if the City would avoid a tall fence, and/or large trees blocking the view. Right now the dirt and the weeds from this property blow into his back yard. Evan Dahlke, 22586 Brentwood St. Concerned with losing the view especially the view that is during nice clear days in the winter. Because there is a field directly across the street from Grand Terrace Road a lot of what is in that field (weeds/dirt) will blow into the park. Mr. Dahlke asked what the cost would be to maintain the park, especially such an elaborate park. Mr. Dahlke suggested that perhaps the design be simplified because lot of the senior population is moving out and younger families are moving in. Would not want tall trees blocking the sun that reaches his pool area in his back yard but does think we should beautify that area. Director Koontz would like everyone to understand that this is a conceptual plan and the location of trees, etc. has not been determined. This conceptual plan would have to go to the City Council for approval before it can go forward and the funds would have to be obtained and only then would we start getting the working drawings at which time we would get specific about tree types and locations would be located. The City Council would give a lot of direction at this point. This project will probably not be completely built out for quite a number of years. Chair Wilson commented that there is a thought pattern about neighborhood involvement and volunteer groups being involved in making this a nice park and told the audience that copies of the parks design could be made available to them. Raynell English, 22600 Brentwood, said that she thinks the interested residents would work more with the Planning Commission if the Commission would give them some kind of comfort that they are not going to put huge trees in and take the view away. Chairman Wilson announced that a representative from the landscape design firm was present and getting direct input right now. • Chairman Wilson commented that the concept design is subject to change and sizes have not been determined at this point. 8 This Commission and the City of Grand Terrace, at large, has a reputation of being good neighbors and the City Staff wants to develop a good project for the City. • Chairman Wilson further noted that the 5 Commissioners are all homeowners in the City of Grand Terrace. • Grand Terrace has a good reputation for being free of graffiti because extraordinary measures are taken to keep graffiti down. • In regard to the Edison easement that it is presently there, Edison might have some sort of an in-line relocation within the existing easement that might provide some incentive for Edison to do that sort of thing but it is not typical for Edison to hand over money for beautification situations. Sometimes in the older easements it might be a possibility and we will check into this but usually the City has to fund under-grounding of utilities. This access easement is for maintenance only and nice enough landscaping can be done to service both residents and ingress/egress by Edison. Chairman Wilson suggested that we honor our prominent citizens of the past some place within this park, e.g. Tony Petta, the owner of Grand Terrace Realty for example and others that have been very prominent in the City's history. Vice-Chairman Addington stated that he was glad the City was moving forward for the beautification of not only this park, but also Rollins Park and the other parks and is glad that Petta Park will be a passive park. Commissioner Comstock commented that he pastor's a church off of Pico St. that has an Edison easement along the back portion that is 45 ft. wide and there have been no problems with Edison coming in once or twice a year to clean off the insulators. There is block wall on two sides of the property and a 6 ft high fence down one side of the property that is 700 ft. long and we have never had any problems with graffiti and pointed out that the Blue Mountain Outlook publishes the graffiti hot line each month and there is a fast response time to reports of graffiti. Commissioner Comstock said that he thought the park was very nice and asked if there was a concept of a maximum height for the trees. Director Koontz replied that there was not at this time. Commissioner Whitley concurred that the concept is a very good one and hopes that the concerns of the neighbors concerns about the views and feels that the easement can have grass and that the access can be worked around. Chairman Wilson invited the public to participate in every aspect of the planning and probably part of the construction and noted that there are still quite a quite a few seniors in the City. Also, Chairman Wilson said that he liked the idea of having a spot for Christmas tree lighting. Commissioner Bidney concurred that there are quite a few seniors_ and that they love Grand Terrace and would appreciate a place to walk since most streets are uphill or downhill. 9 Assistant City Manager Steve Berry said that the 2000 census report that 20.1% of the Grand Terrace population is 55 and older. Director Koontz thanked the residents and the Commissioners for their in put and the comments will be in the Staff Report to the City Council. 2) Proposed office use in the "La Mancha" building on the northwest corner of Barton and Mt. Vernon (22488 Barton Road). Associate Planner Lampe noted that this situation is similar to a past discussion with the Commission approximately one month ago regarding the commercial center at Canal and Barton Rd. This particular case involves the "La Mancha" building where the Starbucks Coffee is going in. A few weeks ago, the firm, California Steel Fabrication, approached 'Staff about opening an office in this building. A letter from this company is included in the Staff Report, which indicates that the company manufactures light gage steel trusses and wall panels and the manufacturing facility is located in Beaumont. The company wants to open their administrative office here in Grand Terrace and it will be occupied by the President of the firm, his secretary and some administrative staff. The La Mancha building was constructed in 1991 and has a long history of vacancies. The applicant is asking to locate in Suite 102 between Starbucks and Blue Mtn. Realty. The site is located in the Barton Rd. Specific Plan and is in the Village Commercial category. That particular category only allows for office type uses on the 2"d floor of a 2- story building (not on a ground floor situation), however, the Barton Rd. Specific Plan does give the Commission latitude to determine on a case by case basis that offices could be permitted on the ground floor based on such matters or issues regarding visibility of the building, economic hardship and a history of high vacancy. Staff believes in this particular case this criteria has been met since the building has had a high vacancy rate ever since it was built. The building's, design is a reverse corner layout, which discourages retail businesses, and other non-office commercial uses of the property. Associate Planner Lampe feels that the criteria of the Barton Rd. Specific Plan has been met to allow an office use of this particular location and that the Commission should find that this be allowed under the criteria of the specific plan. ; Chairman Wilson asked for the number of employees and number of projected parking spaces required and Associate Planner Lampe said that the number of parking spaces is based on the square footage of the floor area, which is 1 space for every 200 sq. ft., and there is no specification about number of employees. The applicant indicated that it would be himself, his secretary, and 2-3 administrative staff that would come and going all day. Director Koontz said that we would actually like to see a use like this because of the Starbucks' parking demand. There is limited parking at the center and .Starbucks is expected to consume much of it. 10 Vice-Chairman Addington is glad that the applicant chose Grand Terrace for his office but wonders why he chose this particular location. Associate Planner Lampe said that he thinks that he likes the size of the suite and the rent is 'right'. He does live in Newport Beach, has his manufacturing company in Beaumont, and he wants to have his offices here in Grand Terrace. It was noted that this business will not be contributing to the tax base at all. Commissioner Whitley feels that the parking at this site is limited and wondered if this site was in compliance with parking when it was approved. Associate Planner Lampe said that the site was approved with the idea that there would be reciprocal access and parking with the adjacent site for additional parking needs and Chairman Wilson concurred that that was the original intent made by a previous Commission. Commissioner Bidney said that he thought parking would be a limitation at this site. Chairman Wilson asked if there was an interim solution to the parking problem and Associate Planner Lampe said that no other type of use is going in this location other than office use that would be less of a demand on parking. Director Koontz said that since the driveway to the La Mancha building is so close to the intersection it would be dangerous to allow parking at the curb. Chairman Wilson suggested that a reciprocal agreement with the postal business next door be looked into. Vice-Chairman Addington feels that the Commission should go ahead and let the applicant-lease the space and Chair Wilson feels that it is in compliance with the specific plan. • Information from Commissioners Commission Bidney asked about items that have been approved in the past as he has noticed that on Canal and Barton Rd. the remodeling is looking nice on the office there but doesn't see anything happening on Rosedale and Palm with the garage that was approved. Associate Planner.Lampe reported that at Rosedale and Palm the resident took some time in submitting his plans for a plan check but that has now happened and it is expected that he will. be pulling permits in the-near future. Also, the dental building is now in plan check and the architect is coming in with the owner next week to talk about his plan check. The bicycle lane project has been approved by SANBAG and is ready go to the State next week. Planning Technician Gollihar reported that the 4t" suite of the 4 suite building at the corner of Canal and Barton has had an applicant making it fully occupied even before it is done. __ 11 Director Koontz further stated that staff is working with the owner on improving the looks of the sign at that location. Vice-Chairman Addington asked about the Keystone School. Director Koontz informed the Commissioners that in a phone call he received last week from the .school's consultant, the application for expanding to 170 students has been withdrawn. The school is planning to transfer some students to the Riverside facility and keep the student count at the 120 that they are permitted for. They also plan to make some improvements to the school. A few items of information from Director Koontz: • Starbucks will probably be opening in about 2 weeks. We have granted Starbucks an encroachment permit to build a small seating area outside next to the sidewalk on Barton Rd. The landscaping is being re-done at our request and should be very nice. • A workshop is being planned regarding the Barton Road Specific Plan since it has been about 15 years since it has been written and Director Koontz feels that it does not reflect the need's and desires of the City anymore. • We have completed a draft of the noise element for the General Plan and will be presenting that to you shortly. The Housing Element is also being completed at this time. • The Outdoor Adventure Center is also moving forward and Staff will keep the Commission informed as to its progress. • There have been several discussions with School District officials regarding the new high school but the details are still confidential. ADJOURN PUBLIC WORKSHOP SESSION NEXT PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING TO BE HELD ON MARCH 20, 2003 Respectfully Submitted, Appro ed By, A John Lampe, Asociate Planner Doug Wilson, Chairman Planning Commission Gary Koontz, CoMmunity Development Director 12