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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-17; Planning Commission; Minutes. PLANNING COMMISSION M. t lllU es June 17, 2020 CALL TO ORDER: 3:01 p.m . City Council Chamber 1200 Carl sbad Village Drive Carlsbad. CA 92008 ROLL CALL: Anderson, Geidner, Lafferty, Luna, Meenes, Merz, and Stine APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Motion by Commissioner Luna, seconded by Commissioner Stine, to approve the May 6, 2020 meeting minutes as amended. Motion carried 7 /0. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT LISTED ON THE AGENDA: None · PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING: Chair Anderson directed everyone's attention to the slide on the screen to review the procedures the Commission would be following for that evening's public hearing. Chair Anderson opened the public hearing for Item 1. 1. CDP 2020-0002 (DEV2020-0022) -DIMOND ADDITION -Request for approval of a Coastal Development Permit for a 1,021-square-foot, two-story addition to an existing 1,857-square-foot, one-story single-family residence on property located at 519 Chinquapin Avenue within the Mello II Segment of the city's Local Coastal Program and Local Facilities Management Zone 1. The project site is within the appealable area of the California Coastal Commission. The City Planner has determined that the project belongs to a class of projects that the State Secretary for Resources has found do not have a significant impact on the environment, and it is therefore categorically exempt from the requirement for the preparation of environmental documents pursuant to Section 15301(e)(2) -additions to existing structures less than 10,000 square feet -and Section 15331 - rehabilitation of a potentially historic resource -of the state CEQA Guidelines. City Planner Neu introduced Agenda Item 1 and stated Associate Planner Dan would make the staff presentation (on file in the Planning Division). DISCLOSURES: Commissioners Geidner; Lafferty, Meenes, Merz and Stine disclosed they drove by the site. Chair Anderson disclosed she looked at the site on google maps. Associate Planner Dan gave the staff presentation. Chair Anderson asked if there were any members of the public who wished to speak on the project. Seeing none, she opened and closed public testimony at 3:10 p.m. Planning Commission Minutes June 17, 2020 Page 2 ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Geidner, seconded by Commissioner Meenes, to adopt Resolution No. 7376. Motion carried, 7 /0. 2. CT 2019-0003/SDP 2019-0004 (DEV2019-0063)-CARLSBAD STATION -Request for a recommendation of approval of a Tentative Tract Map and Site Development Plan to construct a four-story mixed-use project consisting of two buildings with eighty-three condominium units comprising seventy-nine residential units and four commercial units on a 1.75-acre site located at 2747, 2775, 2777, 2785, and 2081 Roosevelt Street and 2780 and 2802 State Street in the Village Center {VC) District of the Village and Barrio Master Plan and within Local Facilities Management Zone 1. The City Planner has determined that this project belongs to a class of projects that the State Secretary for Resources has found do not have a significant impact on the environment, and is therefore categorically exempt from the requirement for the preparation of environmental documents pursuant to section 15332 {In- fill Development Projects) of the State CEQA guidelines. City Planner Neu introduced Agenda Item 2 and stated Senior Planner Jones would make the staff presentation (on file in the Planning Division). DISCLOSURES: Commissioners Geidner, Lafferty, Meenes, Merz, and Stine disclosed they drove around the site and walked the site. STAFF QUESTIONS: Commissioner Geidner asked that the address on the resolution be corrected to reflect 2801 Roosevelt Street. Senior Planner Jones confirmed that will be corrected. APPLICANT QUESTIONS: Arlene Tendick, Community Outreach Consultant for the applicant, gave a presentation and stated they would be available to answer any questions. Commissioner Stine asked about the restaurants that are currently located on the site. Christopher McKellar, applicant, stated the project is designed to accommodate two restaurants and there is one current restaurant who will be part of the new project. He stated they are open to working with any business in the area who would like to fill the restaurant space, including one that is currently there. Commissioner Meenes, Luna, Geidner and Stine wanted additional information on if the applicant plans to sell or rent the designated affordable units. They stated they are concerned that the applicant has not made it clear. The concerns include, short term rentals, HOA fees for someone who purchases an affordable unit, and if an affordable unit can then be rented. Planning Commission Minutes June 17, 2020 Page 3 Christopher McKellar stated they are not sure yet what they will do with the units. They may sell them, rent them, or a combination of both. He stated that HOA fees for an affordable unit would be on a sliding scale and renters and owners will have equal access to the amenities. He stated the affordable units will remain affordable either way. Commissioner Lafferty asked for additional information on the design and height of the proposed project. She asked if the number of affordable units would be negotiable to allow the requested decrease in the ground floor commercial space. Robert Hidey, Architect, explained the design and stated they are going for a main street look. He explained the thought process behind the decision to make the building next to the theatre one story was to preserve the status of the theatre and not have it overtaken in appearance by a newer building. City Planner Neu stated the reduction in commercial space is a waiver that is being requested pursuant to the density bonus ordinance and there are not any housing laws that would allow the city to negotiate for additional affordable units in exchange for decreasing the required commercial space. Chair Anderson stated the retail spaces are on the smaller side and having a small grocery store would increase the value of the residential units as well as support the intent of having commercial space below residential dwellings. This would enable people to walk to the grocery store versus driving. She stated it · is disappointing that the retail space is not larger. Christopher McKellar stated they would love to have a grocery store in one of the retail spaces. Chair Anderson asked if there were any members of the public who wished to speak on the project. She opened public testimony at 4:37 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Maya Rosas, of Circulate San Diego, submitted comments supporting the project. Specifically, the mobility choices. Laurie Boone, resident, submitted comments supporting the project to include on site parking, the promenade feature, and the lower profile of the buildings. Clyde Wickham, resident, submitted comments of concern about the project to include drainage to the neighboring property, the sewer lines and retaining wall building materials. Chair Anderson asked if there were any additional members of the public who wished to speak on the project. Seeing none, she closed public testimony at 4:47 p.m. Engineering Manager Geldert stated the applicant will be resolving some of the sewer issues in the area with improvements they are proposing. Commissioners Luna, Meenes, Merz, Stine, Geidner, and Chair Anderson, stated support for the project. Planning Commission Minutes June 17, 2020 Page4 ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Geidner, seconded by Commissioner Meenes, to adopt Resolution No. 7375 as amended. Motion carried, 7 /0. 3. ZCA 2020-0002/AMEND 2020-0005/LCPA 2020-0006 -ACCESSORY · DWELLING UNIT AMENDMENTS 2020 -Request for a recommendation to approve amendments to the Zone Code, Village and Barrio Master Plan and Local Coastal Program to ensure consistency with state law related to accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units. The City Planner has determined that the proposed amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15061(b)(3) and 15282(h) of the CEQA Guidelines. City Planner Neu introduced Agenda Item 3 and stated Associate Planner Funk would make the staff presentation (on file in the Planning Division). Associate Planner Funk gave the staff presentation. Commissioner Stine asked for additional information on why staff is recommending 1,000 square feet as a maximum size and what neighboring cities are allowing. Specifically, Encinitas and Vista. Associate Planner Funk stated that larger units may be built closer to neighbors, larger units increase demand for parking, and generally larger units accommodate more people. He stated the intent on recommending the smaller size is to balance the existing neighborhood's desire for compatibility and the need to provide affordable housing. He stated that Encinitas and Vista are both allowing up to 1,200 square feet. Escondido and Del Mar have drafts for 850-1,000. He stated the rest of the cities in the county are proposing up to 1,200 square feet. City Planner Neu added that in previous years the city had lax standards covering accessory structures and some were being built to the property lines. He stated at one point the city council directed staff to review the standards to ensure compatibility in neighborhoods were being met and new standards for accessory structure were adopted. Commissioner Stine suggested a compromise where studio and one bedroom units would be capped at 1,000 and two or three bedroom units would have the 1,200 square foot cap. Associate Planner Funk stated that staff would support that if that is what the commission decided. He stated staff would also support 1,200 square feet across the board to simplify things suggesting the one size limit would be easier for staff and the public to understand and implement. Chair Anderson asked if there were any members of the public who wished to speak on the project. Seeing none, she opened and closed public testimony at 5:27 p.m. Commissioner Lafferty asked if stock plans would be provided with this proposal. She stated the smaller cap of 1,000 may be good in certain areas of the city, such as the barrio, where the lot sizes are smaller. She asked what fire safety was being considered with the reduced setbacks. Associate Planner Funk stated that stock plans were not being developed at this time. He stated that could be something considered with the housing element update. He stated that the same fire building safety codes would apply to an accessory unit as if it were a main building. Planning Commission Minutes June 17, 2020 Page 5 Commissioner Lafferty stated it is concerning that there are no additional fire safety measures being considered when increasing density. She stated concern that a 60 day permit process will be difficult other agencies to meet, such as SDG&E. City Planner Neu stated the 60 day permit process set out by the state is intended to limit the time frame that local jurisdictions have to act on the permit. Chair Anderson stated that in her experience as a real estate agent, that the larger the unit the more expensive it will be to rent. She stated larger units will not be affordable. She stated in her recent search on rentals, a 700 square foot two-bedroom condo was renting for $1,700. She stated a larger detached until in a private area will exceed an amount that would qualify under the cities allocated RHNA numbers. She stated she is strongly opposed to increasing the staff recommendation of 1,000 square feet. Assistant City Attorney Kemp stated that part of the intent of ADU's is to increase housing stock, not solely for affordability. Associate Planner Funk confirmed that the only time an accessory dwelling unit would be required to be an affordable unit is when a developer is using the unit as part of their inclusionary requirement. Commissioner Merz stated he supports staffs recommendation for a maximum size of 1,000 square feet. · He stated the reduction in parking could adversely impact neighborhoods and he agrees that a smaller unit respects the character and compatibility of neighborhoods. Commissioners Luna, Geidner, Meenes and Stine, stated support for the larger maximum size of 1,200 square feet. The supporting factors include additional housing stock, housing for elderly and extended family, simplifying the permit process by allowing a maximum size across the board, and allowing free market to dictate the size. ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Meenes, seconded by Commissioner Stine, to adopt Resolution No. 7374 as amended. Motion carried, 5/2 (Commissioner Anderson and Merz no). 4. ZCA 2020-0001/LCPA 2020-0005 -DENSITY BONUS AMENDMENTS 2020 -Request for a recommendation to approve a Zone Code Amendment and Local Coastal Program Amendment to update the city's density bonus regulations to reflect changes in state law. The city planner has determined that the amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061{b)(3) because the amendments do not have the potential to cause a significant effect on the environment. City Planner Neu introduced Agenda Item 4 and stated Associate Planner Funk would make the staff presentation (on file in the Planning Division). Associate Planner Funk gave the staff presentation. ACTION: Motion by Commissioner Luna, seconded by Commissioner Meenes, to adopt Resolution No. 7373. Motion carried, 7 /0. Planning Commission Minutes June 17, 2020 Page 6 PLANNING COMMISSION REPORTS COMMENTS: Commissione·r Luna and City Planner Neu gave a brief update on the Housing Element Advisory Committee's progress. CITY PLANNER REPORTS: City Planner Neu gave an update on the next meeting date, which will be July 15, 2020. CITY ATTORNEY REPORTS: None ADJOURNMENT: Chair Anderson adjourned the duly noticed meeting at 6:41 p.m. Melissa Flores -Minutes Clerk