HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-25-2015 PC MinutesSAN LUIS OBISPO
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
March 25, 2015
CALL TO ORDER /PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL: Commissioners Michael Draze, Ronald Malak, William Riggs, Vice -
Chairperson Michael Multari, and Chairperson John Larson
Absent: Commissioners Hemalata Dandekar and John Fowler
Staff: Deputy Community Development Director Doug Davidson, Senior
Planner Phil Dunsmore, Consulting Planner David Watson, Traffic
Operations Manager Jake Hudson, Assistant City Attorney Jon
Ansolabehere, and Recording Secretary Diane Clement
ACCEPTANCE OF THE AGENDA: The agenda was accepted as presented.
MINUTES: Minutes of March 11, 2015, were approved as amended.
PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON - AGENDA ITEMS:
There were no comments made from the public.
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
3761 & 3987 Orcutt Road. GP /R 95 -13: Request to amend the General Plan and
Orcutt Area Specific Plan (GASP), including adjustment of the Urban Reserve Line
(URL), rezoning of approximately 0.85 acres of Conservation /Open Space (C /OS)
zoning to Single - Family Residential (R- 1 -SP), reorientation of 2.8 acres of
residential and parklands, reorientation of wetlands mitigation sites, rezoning of
0.38 acres of R -1 -SP to R -2 -SP, addition of text to the OASP to "track"
amendments, adjustments and clarification to development standards, and
consideration of the Initial Study and a Mitigated Negative Declaration, tiering off
the OASP Final EIR (2010); R -1 -SP zone; Ambient Communities, applicant. (Phil
Dunsmore)
Consulting Planner David Watson presented the staff report, recommending the City
Council adopt a resolution to:
1. Adopt the proposed Initial Study- Mitigated Negative Declaration
2. Amend the General Plan and Orcutt Area Specific Plan, including
a. Modifications to the URL along Righetti Hill
b. Reconfiguration of open space, parks and residential zoning within
VTM #3063
c. Reorientation of wetlands mitigation sites within VTM #3063
d. Rezoning of 0.38 acres of R -1 -SP to R -2 -SP within VTM #3066
e. Addition of Section 9.10 to the OASP to "track" amendments, adjustments
and clarifications to the Plan
Planning Commission Minutes
March 25, 2015
Page 2
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Lenny Grant, SLO, with RRM Design Group, stated that he supports this project as a
catalyst to other projects in the area that will provide housing in the City.
Michael Jones, SLO, stated he is against changing the section of the Urban Reserve
Line that would result in three -story houses looking down on his property and noted that
increased traffic at the Hansen Lane / Orcutt Road intersection will make that intersection
even more dangerous than it is now.
Ernie Jones, SLO, speaking for the Jones Ranch site, supported the project moving
forward quickly but he is concerned about traffic flow on Orcutt.
Julia Jones, SLO, expressed gratitude for the work done over the years, and noted that
this is all about families and people, not just land and lots. She supported moving
forward without any unnecessary delay.
Jeanne Helphenstine, SLO, supported the recommended changes and stated the
adjustments to the URL do not take away from the open space.
Byron Grant, SLO, supported the project and noted that housing is much needed and
this project protects the environment.
Mary LaPorte, SLO, stated she and her neighbors are endangered every time they turn
out onto Orcutt Road from Hansen Lane. She expressed concern about the proposed
adjustment to the URL near Hansen Lane and with the increase in traffic but noted she
has no objection to the proposed housing or parkland.
There were no further comments made from the public.
COMMISSION COMMENTS:
In response to a question from Commr. Draze about access from Orcutt Road, Fire
Marshal Roger Maggio stated that mitigations in a report done two years ago would
meet the requirement for enhanced fire protection with one access point if signed by the
applicant and approved by the City.
Commr. Multari stated he is concerned about having only one access point to Orcutt
Road with that many lots so close to nearby open space.
Fire Marshal Maggio stated there would be a trail drivable to allow a second exit point in
case of a fire.
Traffic Operations Manager Hudson stated that other locations with a single access
point, such as Los Verdes 1 and 2, have led to problems and requests for changes. He
added that a second access point aligned with Hansen Lane would be preferred and
noted that this design improves the roadway with a two -way left turn lane.
Planning Commission Minutes
March 25, 2015
Page 3
Commr. Larson asked how long the two -way left turn lane would be, whether it would
facilitate turning left onto Orcutt Road from the project, and what it would take to do the
alignment of center lines for Hansen Lane and Road E2 in the project.
Bob Hill, Natural Resources Manager, stated that the applicant will need to compensate
for open space lost in the alignment of the two roads and the changes must be
approved by LAFCO.
Commr. Larson stated he would support the realignment because it would also solve
the existing difficulty of left turns from Hanson Lane onto Orcutt.
Commr. Draze supported the realignment and two access points.
In response to a question from Commr. Malak, Traffic Operations Manager Hudson
stated the widening would happen on the project side of Orcutt Road and the applicant
confirmed this.
Commr. Malak stated he lives in a development with one access point and he has not
experienced any problems and, with only about 40 homes here, he does not see a
problem but is more concerned with the potential for activities at the park resulting in
increased traffic. He added he would rather see the money spent there for a
roundabout.
Traffic Operations Manager Hudson stated there will be a roundabout on A Street at the
park.
Commr. Riggs stated that he remembered discussion at the Commission meeting in
2014 about the views from the residential sites and he does not see increased views or
viewshed protection in this proposal. He added that he remembers Commr. Stevenson
was adamant that this was very important. He asked what can be done about this.
Commr. Larson added that there were supposed to be views from the roads.
The applicant stated that the views from Tank Farm Road have been opened up and
that, while there are still some uphill lots, they have been pulled down the hill 40 -50 feet,
which has reduced or eliminated them from the view.
Commr. Riggs stated that Commr. Stevenson discussed opening up the views across
the site with, perhaps, more pocket parks. He added that, from the D2 Street you see
just houses but glimpses of the viewshed would be more in line with what Commr.
Stevenson wanted.
Commr. Malak stated he wanted to have staff discuss the points in a letter from the
applicant. Consulting Planner Watson reviewed the points in the letter.
Commr. Larson stated that a decision on the URL is dependent on what the
Commission decides to do with Hansen Lane.
Planning Commission Minutes
March 25, 2015
Page 4
Commr. Multari stated he remembers Commr. Stevenson's comments and thinks a
reasonable job has been done to provide for open space and views. He noted that
about half of the lots front or back onto open space and there is more public access
proposed here than exists in just about any other neighborhood. He stated he is
concerned about the phasing of the building of lots and infrastructure, and especially
about single point access on Orcutt Road and the need to have at least additional
emergency access. He added that traffic impacts would be less with two access points
and that something has to be done about traffic control and signalization at B Street and
Orcutt Road. He requested staff to explain these points at the next meeting.
Commr. Riggs stated he does not agree this is a better layout that the previous one. He
asked to see the bicycle and pedestrian transit plans. He noted it appears the
assumption is everyone will be driving vehicles which is not in line with city goals. He
added that the question is how to incentivize other modes. He also asked how the
affordable housing will be implemented and stated it is not appropriate to have it all in
one place.
Commr. Malak clarified his comment supporting a roundabout was for B Street. He
asked if these projects will go to the Architectural Review Commission.
Consulting Planner Watson stated that the Specific Plan has detailed guidelines and
that final approval would be from the Community Development Director although the
project will go to the ARC.
Commr. Malak stated he does not see any requirements for solar panels and he
requested that the homes be wired for solar and that buyers have the option at point of
sale to purchase solar panels. He added that he wanted the EIR to identify water
conservation measures within the homes, such as grey water recycling, hot water
looping and tankless water heaters.
Commr. Draze stated these are subdivision issues and he thinks staff should discuss
these items with the applicant, and they should be in the conditions of approval rather
than the EIR.
Commr. Malak asked where a school would be if the district wanted to build one.
Senior Planner Dunsmore stated that when the OASP was adopted, there was provision
for a school but no specified location and there has not been a request from the school
district yet. He noted that in the last discussion the school district indicated there was
no added capacity needed so no specific site has been designated.
Commr. Malak asked what type of bicycle path would be along Orcutt Road.
Commr. Riggs stated it would remain a Class 2 path with a pedestrian sidewalk.
Commr. Riggs stated he would like to understand the rationale for dismissing the notion
of changing some R -1 lots to R -2 and this might be a missed opportunity to increase
affordable housing.
Planning Commission Minutes
March 25, 2015
Page 5
Commr. Larson stated the fundamental question about the URL is whether the
modifications proposed are sufficient to justify shifting it. He added that Commr. Riggs
made important points about the specific plan and the viewshed and the current
proposal is a departure from that. He noted that part of the issue is not just the location
of the URL but the sense of accessibility to open space and, with this proposal, that is
lost. He stated that there is a lot of detail on restricting building heights, which is
confusing and he would like an explanation of that near Hansen and Orcutt.
Consulting Planner Watson gave a detailed explanation of the height restrictions for the
E Street neighborhood and the staff recommendation that 11 specified homes be one -
story with a maximum height of 25 feet while the other 23 could be two -story but with
the same maximum height.
Commr. Multari suggested that some kind of visual and pedestrian, and possibly bike,
access in the vicinity of lots 57 and 84 between D1 and D2 Streets and on C3 Street in
the vicinity of lots 197 and 198 would improve views and access to the park and the
upper open space. He asked the applicant to provide for more diversity in housing by
converting some large lots, such as 77 -80, into R -2 lots which would result in more units
and would provide more integration of smaller units into an R -1 area.
Commr. Riggs supported Commr. Multari's suggestions.
Applicant Fuentes stated that the challenge is the infrastructure and the R -1 units pay
for it. He noted that the topography is problematic.
Commr. Multari stated his suggestions would begin to address concerns about access
and about breaking up the long line of homes on C3 Street. He noted that the current
proposal is superior to what was presented a year ago but that does not mean there
cannot be further adjustments. He noted the need for the applicant to present a
pedestrian /bicycle /transit plan at the next meeting.
Commr. Riggs stated he does not understand how the Commission can make a motion
and vote on the URL without understanding the lot relationship to that.
Commr. Multari suggested continuation until next meeting and dealing with the General
Plan amendment and tract map at the same time.
There were no further comments made from the Commission.
On motion by Commr. Multari, seconded by Commr. Draze, to continue item one on the
General Plan amendment, initial study, and the Specific Plan amendments to a date
certain, April 8, 2015, with the understanding that it will come back as a package with
the tract map.
YES: Commrs. Draze, Larson, Malak, Multari, and Riggs
NOES: None
RECUSED: None
ABSENT: Commrs. Dandekar and Fowler
Planning Commission Minutes
March 25, 2015
Page 6
The motion passed on a 5:0 vote.
Z 3987 Orcutt Road. TR /ER 114 -14: Review of a new residential subdivision (Tract
3063) adjacent to Righetti Hill with 304 new homes, adjustments to proposed
parkland and open space, and consideration of a Mitigated Negative Declaration;
C /OS -SP and R -1 -SP zones; Ambient Communities, applicant. (Phil Dunsmore)
Consulting Planner David Watson presented the staff report, recommending review of
the proposed Vesting Tentative Tract Map, providing direction on specific topics and
continue the item to the April 8, 2014, Planning Commission hearing for final action,
based on findings and subject to conditions which he outlined.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
There were no comments made from the public.
COMMISSION COMMENTS:
Commr. Riggs discussed raised intersections and traffic calming. He also stated that
transferring nine affordable units is further concentrating affordable housing on one site
and recommended exploring something more consistent with the Housing Element
goals. He added that his ultimate fear would be that the affordable housing is only
located in the duplexes and apartments.
Commr. Multari supported accepting the open spaces and parks as recommended. He
stated that the transfer of affordable units is acceptable although it is unfortunate they
are not more dispersed. He added that ARC review of the models with the Community
Development Director making the final call will be very awkward and it will be hard for
the Director not to go along with the decision of the ARC.
Deputy Director Davidson stated that the ARC review is not necessary if the design
guidelines in the OASP are met although there will still be an ARC review on a minor
level for architecture with minor tweaks approved by the Director, and any major
changes going back to the ARC.
Commr. Draze noted that a lot of design work was done when developing the OASP
and the tradeoff for the expense of that was to not have major review later. He stated
he wants to see how the circulation plan connects with the rest of the GASP.
There were no further comments made from the Commission.
On motion by Commr. Draze, seconded by Commr. Multari, to continue review of the
proposed Vesting Tentative Tract Map to a date certain, April 8, 2015.
AYES: Commrs. Draze, Larson, Malak, Multari, and Riggs
NOES: None
RECUSED: None
ABSENT: Commrs. Dandekar and Fowler
Planning Commission Minutes
March 25, 2015
Page 7
The motion passed on a 5:0 vote.
3. 3761 Orcutt Road. SBDV- 0067 -2015: Review of a new residential subdivision in
the Orcutt Area Specific Plan (Tract 3066) including 61 new homes and 5 existing
homes on 11.56 acres and consideration of an Initial Study and Mitigated Negative
Declaration; R -1 -SP zone; Ambient Communities, applicant. (Phil Dunsmore)
Consulting Planner David Watson presented the staff report, recommending review and
provide comments on proposed Vesting Tentative Tract Map for 31 development lots
and 2 open space lots and continue to a date certain, April 8, 2015 (VTM 3066,
Application #SBDV- 0067 - 2014), based on findings and subject to conditions which he
outlined.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
There were no comments made from the public.
COMMISSION COMMENTS:
There were no comments made from the Commission.
COMMENT AND DISCUSSION:
4. Staff
a. Agenda Forecast:
April 8, 2015 — continuation of Items 1 -3 above, affordable housing on Broad
Street, Terrace Hill Open Space Plan (Bob Hill), swearing in Commr. Fowler,
bylaws, election of chairperson & vice - chairperson
April 22, 2015 — property next to Farm Supply, The Junction by Miner's
Hardware on Santa Barbara.
5. Commission
ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 9:33 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by,
Diane Clement
Recording Secretary
Approved by the Planning Commission on April 8, 2015.
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Lau06 Thomas
Administrative Assistant III