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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-07-13; Planning Commission; MinutesPlanning Commission Minutes Minutes of: Time of Meeting: Date of Meeting: Place of Meeting: CALL TO ORDER July 13, 2016 PLANNING COMMISSION 6:00p.m. July 13, 2016 SENIOR CENTER Chairperson Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:00p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner L'Heureux led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLLCALL CORRECTED Page 1 Present: Chairperson Anderson, Commissioners Black, Goyarts, L'Heureux, Montgomery, and Siekmann Absent: Commissioner Segall STAFF PRESENT Peder Norby, Facilitator Don Neu, City Planner Ron Kemp, Assistant City Attorney Tammy McMinn, Administrative Secretary Farah Nisan, Senior Office Specialist Scott Donnell, Senior Planner Jason Geldert, Engineering Manager Pam Drew, Associate Planner Jessica Padilla Bowen, Community Relations Manager PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA Chairperson Anderson asked if anyone in the audience wished to speak to an item not on the agenda. Seeing none she asked Mr. Neu to introduce the first item. PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING Chairperson Anderson asked Mr. Neu to introduce the first item and opened the public hearing on Agenda Item 1. 1. MP 14-01 -VILLAGE AND BARRIO MASTER PLAN-Receive public and Planning Commission comments on the Draft Village and Barrio Master Plan. The proposed planning document provides land use regulations and design guidelines for the city's downtown Village and adjacent Barrio. The Village and Barrio are generally located west of Interstate 5 between Tamarack Avenue and Buena Vista Lagoon. The railroad corridor forms the west boundary of the Barrio. Parts of both neighborhoods are in the Coastal Zone. Mr. Neu introduced Peder Norby and he gave a brief overview of how the evening would run, including being respectful of everyone's time and statements. Mr. Norby introduced Senior Planner Scott Donnell who would make the staff presentation. Mr. Donnell gave a brief presentation and stated he would be available to answer any questions. Chairperson Anderson asked if any member of the audience wished to address Agenda Item 1. Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 2 Theresa Barns, RN, thinks there should be a hearing impaired symbol on hiking/biking trails to let people know that somebody has a hearing loss. We need to preserve the hearing of younger people, and bring ear health to Carlsbad with a logo younger people can relate to. The logo is part of the Draft Plan and she would like to see it in the Final plan. John Gomez, 3306 Madison Street lives in the same house his grandfather built in 1939. Has been involved in all of these meetings for the last 10 years. His perspective is that we just get going with the project. Corri Schumacher, 954 Homewood, believes City Hall needs to stay where it is and be rejuvenated. The motels should include a policy for affordable visitor accommodations. She would like to suggest making the Barrio a historic district that celebrates the Spanish/Mexican heritage. Kimmy Chatfield, 4067 Aiden Circle, finds many areas throughout the city that has bike sharrows to be dangerous. She has had many motorists honk at her and speed past her. She would like to see safer bike lanes especially near Buena Vista Lagoon leading into Oceanside with barriers, as well as along Carlsbad Village Drive entering the Village. She would like to see better bike safety implemented. John Grubbs, 24-year resident at 3257 Garfield Street, wanted to compliment how wonderful the pedestrian improvements are along Carlsbad Blvd. He has a concern about underground electricity. Nothing has been done in 24 years to address that issue. Kevin Slotick, 3484 Roosevelt Street for 3 years. He agrees with John and has been a part of this process since they moved here. Seeing the timeline sliding is disheartening. Let's get to it. The charrette project was positive and productive. Marissa Torres, 880 Magnolia Avenue, said let's not talk about it, let's just be about it. She stated that safety is an issue in Carlsbad and there is no lighting in the Barrio community. She invites us to her home to see how dark it is at the corner of Harding & Magnolia. She would love to see the Barrio as a historic district. Patricia Davis, 2631 Roosevelt. She loves living in the Village for the last 12 years. She likes watching the progress. On the 2600 block of State Street the density that they are trying to put into X acre of land appalls her. Areas are overdeveloped. Let's keep it a Village. Ray Sanchez, 67-year resident. He is concerned about high rise buildings, now they are building higher than 62 feet. Wants the Village to be able to shop and walk around safely. Doesn't like Roosevelt commercial buildings and they started building apartments. Alex Kananchuck, industrial property at 3305 Tyler Street., stated that the area is full of investments, people who own homes and businesses. He wants to see respect of those people's investments. He doesn't think the Heritage area is a good idea as you've taken the Village and put it together with the Barrio. You've combined two areas into one. The Village area doesn't claim any historical significance. It's time to move on. David McGee, 3478 Roosevelt, said that you're doing a great job on the city plan. He is concerned about safety and Carlsbad is going off the richter scale. Roosevelt Street is a drag strip and is dangerous. We need to use the utmost awareness of slowing traffic on Roosevelt and Madison. He would love to see Chestnut open up to the beach and give access from the Barrio over the railroad. Calin Smith, 675 Oak, said you're doing a great job and you have made Grand Avenue handicap accessible. A lot of people can't get down the steep hill to the beach, so he suggested making the Pine Avenue trail into a switchback for better access. Oak and Madison is pretty dangerous. He has heard about a roundabout to slow traffic. He sees near accidents and near fights almost every day. He suggested installing a stop sign at Oak and Madison. Carolyn Watson and training dog. She grew up in Pacific Beach and it became the alcohol center with all the bars. She doesn't want this to happen to Carlsbad. Keep up the good work and don't let the money- making bars sway you. Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 3 Alice O'Riley, 2669 Garfield Street, taking over parent's house. She has a concern about Carlsbad Village Drive being narrowed down. She stated that it gets very clogged with cars and it would be a catastrophe. Jeffrey Utter, Roosevelt Street, was at a meeting a few months back and brought up his concern of building height. Many residents weren't aware that it was already set at 45 feet in the Village. Nothing came up in the draft raising it to a 55-foot maximum building height. We think that tends to destroy the character of the Village. Some people think it should be downsized, and we shouldn't be going higher. Commissioner Siekmann wanted to clarify that the building height is 45 feet. The 55 feet is not living area. You can have a building of 4 stories, up to 45 feet in certain areas and the 55 feet is roof architecture. She stated she was not saying pro or con but just wanted to give you the facts. Mr. Utter stated that it's still1 0 feet higher. Mr. Donnell stated that Mr. Utter was correct that there wasn't a proposal in the November draft to raise the building height to 55 feet. That Draft was put out for public review and when our consultant was here in December we tested that document with developers and architects. Laura Dellashack lived here for 40 years and feels it is well past time to improve the lighting and sidewalks in the Barrio. She said that the height limit is way too high and would like to see a 3-story height limit. She urged to be very careful about the mixed use concept. When you start combining condos with retail with townhomes and with parking garages you're making a mess. Jessica Kika, 3900 Garfield Street. She's at the edge of the master plan and there are noisy motorcycles and cars speeding down Tamarack. Wanted to say that green space is very valuable. The little area at the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and State Street that sells smoothies and does yoga on the weekend is always packed. We have one chance to get this right so that it's not just all concrete so people can enjoy some open space. Simon Angel, 3324 Tyler Street, has been here all his life. Maybe worthwhile to look at making Tyler a one- way street for safety reasons. He echoes that we need Chestnut access to the beach and would be a real help to get people to the beach. Sara Matalatilla, 3215 Tyler Street. She agrees that respecting people's property who live here is a must. This pertains to the street that will go through Pine and it will go through her house. Robin Hansen, 3514 Highland, southeast corner of Chestnut. There are frequent accidents on their corner. She said that making Chestnut go through to the beach would be a nightmare and make her sell her property. She said the traffic is already bad from the high school. She agrees with protecting investments. She owns businesses in the area and if she has to add machinery to their business, there is a 15-year depreciation. They've been serving this community for a very long time. She said to keep up the green space and safety. Commissioner Siekmann asked if the pass through from Chestnut to the beach is only bicycle and pedestrian would she oppose it. Ms. Hansen replied no. Angel Nugent, lives and works at 3363 Tyler Street. She helps to manage two apartment buildings for seniors 55 and over in the Village. She appreciates the loading zone for 20-minute parking that helps the accessibility for seniors so much better. She echoes making Tyler Street a one-way street That would increase the traffic flow and make the people walking safer. Seniors have difficulty navigating in the dark and it shuts them in. Lilly Pomones, 3363 Tyler Court wants better lighting as well. She fell a week ago and broke both arms walking down the street and would appreciate better lighting. Robert Wilkinson, 2277 Cameo Road, representing Imagine Carlsbad. He appreciates the city government switching to alternative fuel for their diesel vehicles. To build a world class city, we need to get this master plan correct. We have given the Commission comments to look at, and we understand this is now a multi- year process and everyone is anxious to see progress. He gave out a list of 12 items. The master plan is currently missing a major feature which is the protection of commercial uses in the core area, which means the development industry can come in and build as many homes as they want, but we need to protect retail and office space. He said he knows building heights are a sensitive issue. He urged the public to go to the west end of Grand Avenue west of the Boulevard and take a look at that and see how that feels. It's three stories on one side and close to four stories on the other. He's not afraid of the height. He is afraid of the Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page4 quality of the architecture and the guidelines that are in the Master Plan are ineffective. We've had some poor looking projects approved in the Village. Michael Hulbert, 563 Laguna Drive, reviewed the Master Plan and is concerned about the $80 million to trench the railroad tracks and the statistics backing it. He checked the Appendix to see how this polling was done and saw it was by 90 people in a city meeting including city officials. If you're spending $80 million it should include a poll from the entire city. He asked where the $80 million is coming from. No answers? He said the traffic on Carlsbad Blvd. is the impediment to getting to the beach, it isn't the train tracks. He doesn't understand why that is the emphasis of the trenching. He agrees that some buildings on State Street are atrocious and come right to the curb, including one on Laguna Drive and on State Street. There is one huge wall from the Taylor Morrison thing which is the same as having a 4th story. Gary Nessin, 22987 Highland Drive and business on 500 Grand Avenue, and with Imagine Carlsbad. He is fully supportive of trenching the tracks as in the future there will be many more trains. Hopefully it would be economically viable. The new plan is far superior to the old plan and has good plan and vision. We need to ensure the core area has commercial and office space and room for a drug store since people will be working and living in the Village. We need to make sure the Civic Center remains at 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive and the employees of Faraday be moved there. He agreed that the areas that are 3 to 4 stories high are not uncomfortable. The Grand Promenade is a lineal park and a lot of open space. Commissioner L'Heureux asked if we limit the amount of residential in the core area. Mr. Nessin said yes, in the core area, Grand Avenue, parts of Roosevelt Street to Carlsbad Village Drive, should be limited to the 4th floor. When people are looking for a drug store and movie theatre there won't be any room left. Commissioner L'Heureux asked if he's suggesting that any residential be in a mixed use environment as opposed to a stand-alone residential. Mr. Nessin said if you go half a block north of Grand Avenue and Oak Street south it's all residential and wouldn't be mixed use. Dr. Johnson on behalf of homes on Jefferson Street. They've all invested and improved their properties. He's here to address the project called the Harding Street Pacific Wind project which will destroy the quality of life in the immediate neighborhood. High density increase of 500% comprising of low income people enclosed in a tight ghetto-type environment with inadequate parking. The immediate problem is that the proposed structures are 3-story buildings adjacent to their properties with noise and blocking their sunlight. There will be no privacy and not the quality of life they envisioned. This is an unwarranted intrusion and a very bad design. He suggests Harding Street should not be given away free to the developers. Harding Street should stay as-is. A 3-story building could be on the east side of Harding that wouldn't interfere with having one-story good quality design houses on the other side. The parking could easily be improved with having a 3-story parking structure on the far side. He said to please keep Harding Street open. It will make life livable. Please take this into consideration. Lori Boone, 3955 Skyline Road. She stated that this is really interesting that this area right where we are tonight used to be the original schoolhouse in Carlsbad in 1924. She brought a map of Carlsbad in 1925. The population then was 400 people. Their church has been in the same space for 90 years. Before that was built, many people said not to build another church in this area. They voted and wanted to stay in the Village and in the heart of Carlsbad. They heard the statistics that people are moving back into the Village, she got excited because it's not only the historic vision but the future as well. Make it a one vision unified seamless master plan. Teri Chalfant, 3304 Roosevelt, works at 3292 Roosevelt, stated everyone is doing a great job on the plan. Her family has served the community since 1943 and it was small back then. Carlsbad was family oriented and about relationship building, and she would like to see this community stay that way. Debbie Fountain and Courtney Pene have worked with them trying to build community in this area. She'd like to see that safe guarded by the master plan development. She said green is important and healthy, concrete is not. The culture and the history are important and people visit other towns to visit their cultures and she'd like to preserve her culture. Barrio means neighborhood. 3rd graders came to learn the history and where people have been. She'd like to see more mom and pop style businesses kept here. She is in favor of pedestrian access from Chestnut to the beach. Linda Schlesinger echoes the comments about the height and density. Elm Avenue looks like it will be claustrophobic. The new buildings on State Street are horrible. We need to take another look at reducing lanes on Carlsbad Avenue and the roundabouts by the beach and Tamarack. She thinks it's insane to consider. She asked the Commission if any of them or their family members own any homes, businesses, Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 5 real estate or investments in the Village area. Commissioner Montgomery responded that every Commissioner is required to file a Form 700 and everything is listed on that form, and that those forms are available for viewing at the city. Commissioner Goyarts asked her about keeping the height low or lower. She responded to keep it at 45 feet or lower, or preferably 35 feet. Ms. Schlesinger asked Commissioner Siekmann if they could add architectural enhancements on the second floor instead of the third. Commissioner Siekmann responded that she was only giving specific information that is in the plan. She isn't pro or con, just giving facts. Dede Trejo, her mother owns Lola's. She wanted to clarify that Envision Carlsbad is a 19-member group that is hand-picked by the City Council. She isn't a big fan of the gentrification of this plan or the timeshares that have been proposed and approved. She doesn't like the height limits. Fifty-five feet is way too high. She's not a fan of the project proposed on Jefferson by the elementary school. Not a fan of the density. The Barrio is becoming the parking lot for the Village. She hopes you take all her comments into consideration. Commissioner Goyarts asked her about her comment on no timeshares. She replied that there are 21 units on State Street with parking and a weird gate. She asked the Commission to look into what timeshare turnover is. Julia Adjor, 18 years on Madison Street in the Barrio, said let's get on with it. We've been talking about the pedestrian bike bridge over the bridge on Chestnut forever, and it's completely different from the railroad track trenching and is much cheaper. She asked what fractional condos are because there is a sign up on Madison Street. She stated that there is a waiting list for a Community Garden and suggested residents in apartments or without much land be moved to the head of that list. The words walkable, greenness and livability are not just buzz words. They need to be part of the plan. Chairperson Anderson stated that fractional condos means that a buyer has a specific block of time for that property so there were several owners. Ms. Shore asked if that was the same as a timeshare. Chairperson Anderson stated that it is similar but you have a set time that you own that property and it's the same every year. Chris Wright, 4902 Via Arequipa, thanked everyone for being here. She stated that we are a Village, we're not a town. She wants to keep the funky beach town atmosphere, she is against trenching of the tracks, and she wants to extend Grand Avenue east. The mixed use project called the Ocean is appalling that it was even passed. It has commercial, timeshares, condos, a sump pump, and underground parking. She wanted to state that timeshares don't count as living units and that allows for more density. We need to be able to count density as living units and get a true feeling of how many people live here. She's not in favor of the parking structure. She wants to emphasize the historic value and diversity of the Barrio. She wants to keep traffic slow on Roosevelt. Commissioner Goyarts asked her about parking structures and how would the city handle the volume of parking without them. She responded that no parking structure belongs in the Barrio or the Village as it loses the feel of the Barrio. Alan Wanamaker, has been a resident and business owner for 29 years. He is shocked on his drives home that we've lost 5 big old trees in the last week on Jefferson Street. He wants the city to say they won't cut down any more trees as part of the plan. The city had an order to cut trees down 25 years ago and they stopped that from happening. We need to have a policy to not cut first. Across from the Boys & Girls club we've built a sidewalk out around a giant Eucalyptus tree to save the tree. He keeps hearing about timeshares and we have a healthy timeshare community. Carlsbad by the Sea has been here for 40 years. They're making money and they will stay timeshares and are a good asset to the community. Commissioner Goyarts asked if he would support the planting of more shade trees. Mr. Wannamaker said he'd love to see more trees, just don't cut down any more trees. Commissioner Goyarts asked if he would propose planting more shade trees if a tree needed to be cut down for a project. Mr. Wannamaker stated that it takes 35 years to grow a shade tree. Chairperson Anderson asked if he values the eucalyptus as highly as the ficas. He said no. Susan Hollander has lived here over 20 years. Her injuries are because of being hit by a car on her bike in Carlsbad. She commends Carlsbad for wanting to be more bike friendly, but doesn't think the safety issue has been completely addressed. You have to control the traffic and speed of the cars. Paint the ground green for bike lanes and put in a concrete barrier between the vehicles and cyclists. It will save lives. Multiple people have died because they have been hit by cars. There are a lot of models being used by cities that Carlsbad should look at. Avail yourselves to the cycling clubs and community to see what can be done. Look at what Leucadia did with a lane diet and electronic signage. You also have to let the Police Department know to support the cyclists. She's really not convinced all these plans for the Village and Barrio area are in Carlsbad's best interest. Planni'ng Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page6 Cindy Vigne, 3880 Hibiscus Circle. She stated that after all the planning meetings it looked like the updated master plan would be approved and we would all share in updating Carlsbad. She owns a business at Oak Avenue and Tyler Street which was zoned as light industrial. The new master plan zoned it as commercial. She was so excited and sold her smog shop equipment and then received a notice that the master plan would not be approved by the Council. She not only sold her smog equipment and business, but also did not release her business space to an auto repair man knowing that the area would be rezoned and she could install more up to date equipment. She rented a space to the Succulent Cafe and they have helped beautify State Street. With the rezoning you can manufacture anything there but not food. She is so sad and disheartened as her and her property are in limbo. She thinks it's so important that these plans be taken forward. Commissioner Montgomery felt there was a real disconnect with the master plan and the parking study requirements that we didn't have in our hands. It's very difficult for us to resolve these things without having that toolbox and he feels her pain but he can't stress enough how interconnected parking requirements are to this master plan. We need updated data to make decisions for the long haul. Ms. Vigne said that she's given up her tenants rent and that's a risk she took. Sherry Smith, Jefferson Street across from elementary school. She's excited about the plan. She's concerned that we're preparing for more density but reducing lanes to two in several areas of the Village. She thinks of gridlock. She also shops in the Village and moving around with fewer lanes will be difficult. She is concerned about keeping the Village feel. Gil Alvarado lives in the house that his parents moved in to in 1938. The plan is headed in the right direction with a lot of tweaking to do. He started a group called Old Carlsbad Village Association. We had a cleanup which the city helped us with. He has been invited to join the historical society. His goal is to define what is historical and preservable and how to improve that. Wanted to thank you very much for all of the efforts. Commissioner Goyarts said they have read the letters from the association and want to know what the tweaks are that you would make. Mr. Alvarado said safety issues including slowing down traffic, and 4-way stops at every other intersection would help. Lighting is also an issue as is the dilapidation of homes in that area. We are extending ourselves as neighbors helping neighbors. Chairperson Anderson asked about the Barrio name. Mr. Alvarado said he is very much for progress and there is an issue with Barrio vs. Village. He has never associated as being part of a Barrio. Barrio is more synonymous with ghetto. Sherry Alvarado, 3331 Tyler Street, said the meaning of Barrio is "especially one with a high poverty level." A house in the Barrio just sold for $1,150,000. This is a high priced Barrio. Do we really need a Barrio 20 years from now? The realtors call the Barrio Carlsbad Village. She's all for one Village. We're working together to clean up our neighborhood. Continue the medians on Roosevelt and Madison. Improve the lighting and speed control. Maybe we need blinking signs or more stop signs. She would like to have a crossing at Chestnut. She would like to see more charging stations for electric cars. Let's move forward with this. Michael Hedrick, 3557 Madison Street, stated that we need a crossing to the beach. When he moved here it was for access to the beach, and there was no fence and he could walk. Now he has to drive to the beach even though he's only a couple of blocks away. Leucadia and Encinitas don't have a fence along the tracks. Let's do the same here. His mother lives on Maple Street and can't get to the Senior Center only 4 blocks away without driving. Kids climb the fence to get to the school. He encourages roundabouts which use less energy and pollute less and are safer than an intersection with a light. AI Deinegete, 3422 Madison, said the Barrio name is fine with him and he's fine with parking garages. He said we need a fast track crossing at Chestnut. We need to have added parking for each unit that's built. Families have multiple cars so more than one space is required. He'd like to have a parking structure right outside the Senior Center and the park and put pickle ball or tennis courts on top of it and movies on the side of it. Janice Sinclair, Woodward Road, would like to request that you print copies of the master plan for people to see. The voters need to be educated to participate. You have to look at it online or in the library. No one has that much time. You can pay $50 but that's prohibitive with people's budgets. If you distribute free copies, you can educate the citizens and show them that their input is valued. Places for them to pick them up could be City Hall, libraries, Safety Center and the Faraday office. Mr. Donnell stated that we will be making provisions for people to check the documents out for a limited time from the libraries. Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 7 Mario Monroy, 2955 Ocean Street, has been active in the Barrio for over 30 years. He showed a map showing all the properties and the number of homes you can build in each parcel in the Barrio dated June 12. This is approved by the state and the city and is part of the housing element. There is no density change in this project. He would like to address the issue about Harding. The east side of Harding is high density and in the plan there is a discussion about underground parking. Underground parking isn't economical. He would like to suggest modifying the area ED that the first floor be parking. Look at Palm and Harding for an example of this. Javier Uretta, 3280 Roosevelt Street, since 1988. In 1997, there was a flood and if you put parking underground it will be 1 0 feet deep in water. The crossing to the railroad tracks is a must. We need to slow down traffic. We don't have too many cars, they just need to slow down. The businesses are doing better. He loves the Barrio name. Young people are coming here now. The Barrio should be 2 stories and 4 stories anywhere else. It's quality of life that drives people here. The State Street buildings are doing fine by the circle. Put the high density buildings along the railroad track and freeway. Joanna & Charles Bravendar, 3952 Jefferson Street in the Barrio. We're half a block from Jefferson and Tamarack and from the elementary school. Traffic is unbelievable. The roundabout is what concerns us. Charles talked about the backup of traffic to the school. He said that if you place a roundabout there, traffic will come to a screeching halt from the school and the off ramp to the freeway. We'll have gridlock on the roundabout. Mike McDonald reiterated the crossing to the beach. We are the only city that doesn't have multiple crossings to the beach including a very long fence that makes us feel very segregated. He stated that we should do the crossing at Chestnut before you even think about the trenching. The roundabouts on surface is a good idea but when you go to the roundabout on the north end you see new skid marks and obnoxious flashing signs before the roundabouts. He proposed bump outs which will be safer and look nice. Thank you for doing whatever you're doing. You are trying to do something we'd just love to see it in action. Mike Frayhill stayed here for 5 years on Chestnut and Lincoln. He never considered it the Barrio, it was just a cool place to live. He bought a home on Harding across from the church. He loves the Village and the concept. He would like to keep the small village feel and keep city hall where it is. Maria Serva lived in the Village for 10 years. Moved from Orange County because of the high density. She saw small businesses turned into big industry and drove people away. The Village feel is why she loves Carlsbad. She loves the Barrio separated because culture is not all one, culture is individual. People tend to be afraid of areas like the Barrio. If the area is run down and there is no lighting, she would be afraid if she didn't know the community. The culture and history brings charm and what tourists want to see. She doesn't want a roundabout. It would completely stop because of the pedestrians. She likes Plan 3 where it is a square and not a roundabout. Nicholas Alvarado lives in Carlsbad Village. If you want to keep the name the Barrio in your heart that's great, but 30 years from now he won't want this area to be the Barrio. We breathe the same air that they do in the Village. It should be called the Village. We should be able to cross to the beach at Chestnut. They've done it at Poinsettia. You can easily make a crossing path and make it safe. If you lived within walking distance to the beach wouldn't you want to be able to get there a lot easier? Chairperson Anderson asked him if he had climbed the fence. Mr. Alvarado stated that he had. Others have cut a hole in the fence to get through. He said that if you could do something in a short period of time why not do it. Commissioner Siekmann asked Mr. Neu if it was a railroad fence or city fence. Mr. Neu stated it was a railroad fence. It is his understanding that NCTD put up the fence for concerns of safety. John Bailey, 790 Magnolia Avenue, commented on the fact that the master plan is being stalled because of the parking study. The density is what it is. He's been harping about parking for over a year. We have current parking standards right now. The purpose of the parking study is to decrease parking. Right now the standards we have in place are in the low end from other beach cities. The plan reduces parking by about 1/3, and when you have this much density it's going to put a strain on those parking standards. If you leave the standards as they are now, you'll have sufficient standards to move this project forward by the end of the year. Andrea Portia has only lived here for 9 months and owns a business on State Street. It seems like the purpose is trying to make Carlsbad Village more cohesive. There seems to be a lot of loopholes in the CORRECTED Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 8 architectural standards. She stated that there is a proposal for a Promenade on Grande. Look at other cities like Boulder, CO, they have a proper promenade with a parking structure that makes the area more walkable for young families. She thinks you can make all of State Street to Beech a proper, closed-off promenade. The architectural standards make it feel haphazard. Ann Voice, 4890 Rolanda Way, moved here because Forbes Magazine said it was the 41h best place to retire. She checked out the master plan from the library and can have it for 3 weeks. She's worried about the height but perception is only so much and she doesn't buy that it's only another 15 feet. Make it architecturally correct and visibly appealing. She asked for the Commission to look at the demographics- you're not going to keep young people here if you don't. She makes a point to buy things here and spend her money here. She wants her daughters with master's degrees to stay here and not move to Dallas. Jane Cassidy, 645 Anchor Way, stated that what you've done on Carlsbad Blvd. is a good job as it is a main artery to the city. She stated that we need to add berms for bicycle safety. She remembers going to the first Barrio meetings years ago and saw we got push back from the people. It was good that you didn't push ahead and do things wrong, however doing some small things now would help quite a bit. A crossing at Chestnut would be making progress. Trenching the tracks seems to be a huge effort of time and money. If you could pull that out of the plan and separate it she thinks that would help. She commented on the height and that maybe we just need to be more selective. Placing the higher buildings right next to each other doesn't give a good feeling. She stated that a smaller development was going in near Magnolia and Jefferson and the developer purchased parking credits. She said not to let them purchase the parking credits. Mr. Donnell read a comment from Ralph Muncaster stating that the blinking yellow lights crossing Carlsbad Blvd. really, really work as he walks to the beach twice a week. Commissioner Goyarts asked if staff could provide an update on traffic calming and lighting to everyone present which were some of the top issues, requests from the previous Village and Barrio Master Plan meeting. Mr. Norby introduced Doug Bilse, City Traffic Engineer, who gave a brief presentation regarding ADA requirements in the Barrio area and an update to everyone present regarding a project addressing pedestrian safety and to slow down traffic. Roosevelt to Madison and focused on Chestnut from 1- 5 to the Coastal Rail Trail. 13 locations on Chestnut and 2 on Pine, includes pedestrian flashing beacons to slow down traffic at Chestnut and Roosevelt, as well as Chestnut and Madison and many other improvements. The goal is to be finished by Labor Day weekend. Mr. Norby asked if the Commission had any questions of staff. Commissioner Black asked about bump outs instead of roundabouts. Mr. Bilse stated that they were another measure of traffic calming that can be used and would not penalize drivers driving the speed limit. Commissioner L'Heureux stated that he knows you have many projects in the pipeline, but he's hearing that there seems to be a lack of communication between the city and the citizens. Is there a way to let everyone know the short-term projects that are coming up? Mr. Bilse said we are emphasizing the public outreach on these projects. Commissioner Goyarts stated as a follow up from the previous Village and Barrio Master Plan meeting, a few of the main topics were to reduce speed on 3 of the main streets and lighting, commented that he understood that it is happening, and asked Mr. Bilse for an update. Commissioner Goy arts stated that a study has been completed on lighting for the entire Barrio, and we have funds for Capital Improvements and expect to have this done next year. Mr. Bilse said there is a project in the CIP for lighting in the Barrio and they are waiting for the master plan so that the proper lighting standards are installed. He also stated that now that we have funds in the CIP, we expect to have that done next year. Mr. Donnell responded to Commission L'Heureux's comment. We are working on communication issues with both Barrio and Village residents through the monthly Barrio Strong meetings to establish 2-way CORRECTED Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 9 communication and have opportunities to update them on various improvements such as the CIP. That has occurred at a lesser extent with the Carlsbad Village Association. Mr. Neu explained that the intent for tonight's meeting wasn't to go through each of the comments and reply to them, but staff would work through the comments to create a list of areas staff would focus on for revisions to the latest draft of the master plan. Staff would bring the list to a future Planning Commission hearing to obtain concurrence from the Commission on the list. COMMISSION COMMENTS Commissioner Montgomery has been a resident for 30 years. He doesn't own any property in the Barrio or the Village. When there are conflicts we have to recuse ourselves by law. We as Commissioners have the opportunity to visit other cities throughout the years. We are able to be exposed to other great ideas through hundreds of cities throughout California. Several have had tremendous success with rejuvenation and master plans that have revitalized their communities. He's leaning toward calling the area the Village but understanding that others can affectionately refer to the Barrio by name. In other cities there is subtle monumentation or landscaping to draw attention to special areas of the city. He's in full favor of making the Grand Avenue Promenade a walking promenade. Having an at-grade crossing at Chestnut to the beach would be great. He believes a parking structure with key anchor tenants adjacent to it could be done architecturally well and would relieve some of the parking stress. Commissioner Montgomery stated that we should have traffic calming throughout. He is not in favor of 55-foot height limits for architectural variances. He would like this master plan to close all of that and include 3-story maximum structures. He believes we need strict architectural standards. It's all about curb appeal. Commissioner Black thanked everyone for coming to make their comments heard. We're taking everyone's words to heart because we live here too. His main points of contention are parking and traffic, condos mixed with timeshares, and elevations. The next time we meet he thinks we'll be able to vote on it and get it rolling. Commissioner Goyarts stated that it is hard to recap this whole Master Plan in 5 minutes however, he will highlight some of his thoughts as he is in favor of a Central Park, Grand Avenue Promenade and historical designations. Trenching the tracks and connecting neighborhoods would be amazing. He stated that we should have a short-term plan to address the safety concerns, reduce speed on streets, lighting, and an overpass on Chestnut to the beach. The Traffic department was here speaking about the immediate plan to address the speeding, safety concerns, lighting and railroad crossing on Chestnut. He said that a parking structure is inevitable as millions of visitors come here and at some point we'll need a structure. You plan it well and place it out of sight behind store fronts. He is in favor of the 45- foot height restriction without a 55 height extension, which can be needed for elevator shafts, etc., as long as we can limit it. He is more in favor of owner occupied rather than mixing it with timeshare units. He stated that all of your comments are heard clearly and added that we live in one of the best cities in the US and we love living here. Commissioner Siekmann stated that high land costs can limit what type of structure can be built on it. We need to be flexible in our regulations so we can allow the best options for the future of our community. The Village & Barrio lends itself to density due to the transportation hubs. We are fortunate to be getting your input and we all will have to compromise. She opposes the roundabout at Tamarack and Jefferson with people coming off the interstate and children crossing there. She stated that shared spaces are where streets are used for both people and autos, and should be discouraged in areas around parks. There is an idea of eliminating alternative design streets. We can't create a financial hardship to the homeowners that might be affected by this change. The core district has the 45-foot height limit which has been in place for a very long time. We have to remember that there are people who own these properties and are expecting to go up to the limit. As far as the extra 10 feet going to 55 feet, we should create a standards modification for people to come before the Planning Commission to get that approval with input. She disagrees with the 11 foot first floor commercial height. She asked that page 6.30 of the plan add "underground" to the definition of a parking structure. She hopes we can obtain money from the railroad district for trenching the railroad. The crossing at Chestnut for pedestrians and bicycles should be a priority as everyone has waited long enough. She is looking forward to uniform lighting for the Village and Barrio together. She also noticed bicycle boxes to sit at a stop sign for safety. She liked the improvement of Tamarack /1-5 entrance to the city and that it needs to be welcoming. She stated that the downtown mobility commission should be the Planning Commission because you have to know land use. She thinks the parking study was a good idea. Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 10 She is in favor of parking structures and parking meters downtown. She thinks loading and unloading zones are a great idea. She stated that the historic part of the Barrio needs to be valued. She stated that making Tyler a one-way street needs to be looked into. Commissioner L'Heureux thanked the 52 people who shared their thoughts tonight. He stated that the plan has a lot of good merits and is heading in the right direction. He's very concerned about the intersection· of density, height and architectural appearance. We may need to take another look at having a design review committee again. As people have seen The Wave project they have said it's not what they want. We as the Planning Commission need more authority to send a project back or have stronger design guidelines. He stated that mixed use is fine but it has to be appropriate for the location, size and the neighbors. He really appreciates all the work that was done with Imagine Carlsbad and protecting the core. He likes the concept of the entire area being the Village and other historical designations of areas. He has some real problems on height in the core as they are out of character. We need to look at the interface between cars, pedestrians and bicycles in a limited area. The idea of sharrows scares him and it's an educational process. There's a lot of opportunity for conflicts. He agrees that a crossing at Chestnut to the beach for pedestrians is critical. The trenching is a huge opportunity and a long-term vision that we should put in a separate appendix. He stated that opening a huge linear park in the middle of town is a huge vision. He is concerned about reducing the lanes on Carlsbad Village Drive and on Carlsbad Blvd. without a lot of community input. He would like to see a better emphasis on undergrounding utilities in South Village with a concerted effort of the city not waiting on SDG&E. The extension of the sidewalk along Carlsbad Blvd. needs to be extended down to the power plant. He stated that we need a parking structure downtown. Chairperson Anderson asked if the Commission wanted to extend the meeting to 10:15. Commissioner L'Heureux moved and Commission Siekmann seconded. The Commission voted to extend the meeting. Chairperson Anderson loves the Village feel and wants to retain that. The Planning Commission doesn't have the architectural power to disapprove projects that they don't like architecturally. She is not in favor of modern architecture because it's not timeless and it doesn't fit in with the small-town, Village feel. She would like to see it become a guideline for traditional architecture. She stated that developers were coming in with flat roofs to stay under the 45 feet limit so the Planning department added the 55-foot architectural height limit. She is concerned about some of the surveys in the document lead the reader by asking if we like wider sidewalks but not saying that the road would be limited to one lane. Cars need to have priority. She's concerned about the bike lane striped by parked cars. She's concerned about sharrows and doesn't think they are safe. She would like to see one Village. If you want to maintain the Barrio name it could be Village Barrio or Carlsbad Barrio. She stated that in real estate they don't use the word "Barrio" due to the negative connotation. The properties are more expensive because we allow higher density. She is in favor of a crossing at Chestnut. Let's make it safe and do something sooner rather than later. CITY PLANNER COMMENTS Mr. Neu shared Commissioner Segall's written comments (attached to the minutes). Commissioner Segall was not able to attend the meeting due to a family emergency. Commissioner Segall mentioned the need for anchor stores in the Village, parking and timeshare issues, and the need for architectural standards. He also provided comments on density, building height, outdoor eating areas, walkability, and the Village/Barrio names. Mr. Neu stated that the next steps will be to assemble a list of the information and come back to you in late August or September in the form of a Planning Commission resolution to make a motion to identify the areas of the plan you want us to work on. At that time, we will consider what staff would propose to do in regard to the various issues. Our intention is that we would have that meeting at the Council Chamber so it can be webcast and recorded and the meeting will be noticed. Chairperson Anderson thanked the audio/visual people and the great work to get things set up. She also thanked everyone for coming out and giving us their comments. CITY ATTORNEY COMMENTS None. Planning Commission Minutes July 13, 2016 Page 11 ADJOURNMENT By proper motion, the Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission of July 13, 2016 was adjourned at [m.YL DON NEU City Planner Tammy McMinn Minutes Clerk From Jeff Segall Overall, I am appreciative of the plan and work that went into it. Plan needs to have a set of have recommendations for implementation. Need immediate, mid- range and long-term implementation plan. Decision makers and the public should have a good perspective of how a comprehensive plan can be implemented. This is especially true since, over the years, we have had numerous attempts, with extensive public vetting, to develop a viable plan. Such recommended ideas should not be part of what we actually approve. That should be a separate action for the Council. However, the ideas will give the plan credibility and allow all to better understand how the vision can transfer to reality. Need Anchors -Book Store and Drug Store to serve residents and tourists. Powell's Books in Portland is an example. Parking -Need a parking structure. Most other downtowns have this. This will encourage development. For residential uses, parking has to meet the appropriate, logical on-site requirements for residents AND guests. For commercial and restaurants, on-site is not a requirement as long as public parking sites are designed and adequate. Recommend better parking plan in Barrio. Can't keep approving multi-units without on-site parking .... and pushing it to the street. Need better residential ratios and guest parking options. I support some of John Bailey's recommendations in this regard. I will be having a more difficult time in the future for making findings to approve residential Barrio developments with existing parking ordnances. For example, in many places on Magnolia as it curves into Roosevelt, there are red curbs eliminating much needed street parking. Timeshare-Eliminate potential for 00 and NOO in same building. Incompatible uses. Also, ensure that 00 and NOO structures do not create incompatible uses ... such as next to each other. Ensure that NOO are for 7 days rental or more. No weekend rentals. Elevation and Architectural -Prefer some intentional design elements that are regulated, not recommended, suggested or presented as guidance. Right now, it's a hodge-podge of design elements with no character. Specifically, what are we going to do with modern, coastal, contemporary California-style designs? Either we aUow them or we don't. I like and encourage the concept of buildings fronting streets and parking lots hidden. I like concept for Village Faire. Must keep the old Twin Inns building as major focal point of village, and preserve its history and heritage. Bring back the chicken!! I like many of the recommendations made by Gary Nessim and Robert Wilkinson on their Comments on the Plan from Imagine Carlsbad, presented to the Commission in January. They have a clear and accurate vision on the Village and Barrio needs. I especially like their concept of requiring a variety of building frontage if a large business comes in, to keep that small town feeling. Density -What is the appropriate density for residential? I don't know how to determine what is good, bad or ugly. Height of building. District. Need to see more on this. Concerned with 45' plus buildings in Core and Center Districts. Need to see street-scene elevations and renderings to better understand. Outdoor paseos and eating areas - Great Streets; Walkable Community -Need four lanes on CVD and CB. Consider paseos on State and Grand. Or one-way traffic, allowing bike lanes on side streets, and increase paseos. Consider eliminating on street parking, once a parking structure is built. Only allow service/delivery vehicles ... as certain times. Demarcation of Village and Barrio ... to create a sense of each community. Street signs could be quaint way to do this. Barrio Name Change? Need to come to terms with this. Established community likes Barrio name; new residents do not.