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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-26-90Planning Commission proceedings are taped recorded and on file in the office of the Planning Dept. MINUTES ARCADIA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Tuesday, June 26, 1990 The Planning Commission of the City of Arcadia met in regular session on Tuesday, June 26, 1990 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Arcadia City Hall, 240 West Huntington Drive, with Chairman Larry Papay presiding. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay ABSENT: None MINUTES MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve the Minutes of June 12, 1990 as published. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Amato to read all resolutions by title only and waive reading the full body of the resolution. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. OTHERS ATTENDING: Councilman Joseph Ciraulo City Attorney Michael Miller Planning Director William Woolard Senior Planner Donna Butler Associate Planner Corkran Nicholson Associate Planner Wilfred Wong Planning Intern Joseph Lim Secretary Silva Vergel Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 1 PUBLIC HEARING TPM 90 -005 130 Fano St. residential condominium project. Tritech Assoc., Inc. The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened. Tom Cao, 735 Emerson, Monterey Park, representing Tritech Assoc., said that they are in agreement with all of the conditions in the staff report. There were no other persons desiring to speak in favor of or in opposition to this item. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. The consensus of the Commission was favorable. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve TPM 90 -005 subject to the conditions in the staff report. ROLL CALL: Consideration of a tentative parcel map for a 3 -unit AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Chairman Papay noted there is a ten day appeal period. PUBLIC HEARING TPM 90 -006 409 Diamond St. Tritech Assoc., Inc. Consideration of a tentative parcel map for a 2 -unit residential condominium. The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened. Tom Cao, 735 Emerson, Monterey Park, representing Tritech Assoc., said that they are in agreement with all of the conditions in the staff report. There were no other persons desiring to speak in favor of or in opposition to this item. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve TPM 90 -006 subject to the conditions in the staff report. Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 2 ROLL CALL: AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Chairman Papay noted there is a ten day appeal period. PUBLIC HEARING CUP 90 -008 10 -16 W. Live Oak Arcadia Live Oak Partners, Ltd. Consideration of a conditional use permit for an automotive garage and retail stores. The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened. Jeff Talbot, 238 S. Atlantic, Alhambra, said that they are in agreement with all of the conditions in the staff report and said that both driveways are two -way. There were no other persons desiring to speak in favor of or in opposition to this item. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. Commissioner Clark said that it is a nice improvement and the conditions in the staff report are very thorough. Commissioner Amato agreed. Commissioner Hedlund was concerned about the two -way traffic on the driveways and felt that there is no other solution. Chairman Papay said that although it is very close to a major intersection if somebody misses the first driveway they can turn into the second one. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve CUP 90 -008 subject to the conditions in the staff report. ROLL CALL: AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Chairman Papay noted there is a five working day appeal period after the adoption of the resolution. Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 3 PUBLIC HEARING CUP 90 -009 506 E. Live Oak Yasuo lida Consideration of a conditional use permit with parking and landscaping modifications for a 528 sq. ft. expansion to an existing 1,000 sq. ft. restaurant. The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened. There were no persons desiring to speak in favor of or in opposition to this item. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Amato to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. Commissioner Clark commented that he has driven by the center many times and has never noticed a parking problem. The parking lot has usually been empty. Commissioner Amato remarked that this is not a major addition and would probably not have a major impact. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve CUP 90 -009 subject to the conditions in the staff report. ROLL CALL: AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Chairman Papay noted there is a five working day appeal period after the adoption of the resolution. PUBLIC HEARING TM 49103 41 -45 Fano St. Christian Chang Consideration of a tentative map for an 8 -unit residential condominium project. The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened. Ed Eckert, Gilbert Eng. 3820 E. Colorado, Pasadena, said that they are in agreement with all of the conditions in the staff report. There were no other persons desiring to speak in favor of or in opposition to this item. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Clark to approve TM 49103 subject to the conditions in the staff report. Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 4 ROLL CALL: AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Chairman Papay noted there is a ten day appeal period. PUBLIC HEARING TA 90 -006 Consideration of a text amendment proposing to: A Amend the side yard setback requirements in the R -M, R -O and R -1 zones. B. Amend the building height requirements in the R -M, R -O and R -1 zones. C. Amend the "Authority" sections of the Administrative Modification and regular . Modification procedures to address setback and height modifications in the single - family zones. The staff report was presented. Staff explained that any new second -story addition or a new house that does not comply with the setback and height requirements will come before the Commission for modification. Staff explained that linear feet is easier to calculate than the percentage of the lot and.can be split as long as the combination equals what is allowed. Bill Woolard, the Planning Director, stated that a simple room addition would be treated as it has been and only new second -story additions would come before the Commission. The public hearing was opened. John Fung, 310 W. Camino Real, was concerned about the setbacks for second -story additions and remarked that the proposed changes limit the second -story additions. He said that he liked a wider house much better and thought it is more attractive. The proposed changes would result in narrow, deep homes. Staff explained that with the proposed changes, on a 70' wide lot the width for the first floor would be 56' and for the second -floor 42' which would be 10% for the first floor and 20% for the second floor. Chairman Papay said that he was concerned with massive 2 -story buildings and was not trying to stop 2 -story developments. The proposed changes would diminish side yard encroachment and visual impact. Bill Wyman, 507 Monte Vista, felt that the following statement should be included which would describe the height "which is measured from the average of the lowest and highest point of the existing grade of that portion of the site covered by the building ". Also, in the text amendment the word "architectural features" is utilized and he wondered what would be considered as "architectural features ". He felt that that should be included in the code. In regard to fire places he said that he was in favor of the existing regulations in the R -O and R -M zones which allows a 2' -0" encroachment but Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 5 felt that in the R -1 zone, it should be increased to 1' -6" to minimize impact. In the R -1 zone a fire place would encroach 1' into the home and would not be flush with the wall. In response to a question from Commissioner Hedlund, Mr. Wyman said that in a case where fire places are placed back to back with each encroaching 1' -6" into the 5' side yard setback there would be a 7' separation between the two fireplaces. Staff explained that the existing Code for fireplace encroachments was adopted in 1988 and the above statement by Mr. Wyman is not necessarily true, because sometimes the wall is not on the property line and if it is offset there might be 2' between the fireplace and the wall and it was noted that the footing for the wall is usually wider than the block that it supports. Jim Rostron, 422 Monte Vista, said that their association is in favor of the text amendment and the proposed changes by Mr. Wyman. He felt that this was a step in the right direction and commented that they like gable roofs. Dave Olson, 502 E. Camino Real, said that he would prefer to see the height remain on a sliding scale and commented that on a lot that is 70' wide a maximum of 25' height would be permitted and on a 75' wide lot a maximum of 30' height would be allowed and wondered what would happen if a lot was 74.5' wide? He felt that there should be some proportion. He preferred angles which would allow for creativity and the proposed changes might limit creativity. He was against any changes to the first floor setbacks and explained that he has never had any complaints on first floors and all complaints he has received were for second - floors. He commented that there is a trend for 3 -car garages and on most spec homes the garages are placed in the front of the house. On a 75' wide lot with the reduction of 5' setbacks and 30' for the garage there is 35' left for the width of the house but by increasing the required setback the width of the house would be further reduced. He said that many homeowners who build for themselves put the garages to the rear of the house and the proposed changes would limit that. By being able to shift the house there would be adequate room to place the driveway. He commented that Tom Crosby of the Village Assoc. has stated that they prefer placing the garages to the rear and away from the street. The proposed changes would greatly reduce the above possibility. He remarked that the changes in 1988 are fairly new and enough time has not passed to see how well these codes work. It is a long process from the actual planning of a building and to construction and he felt that there are still some houses which are being built which are not required to comply with the 1988 changes since they were submitted before the new changes took affect. He remarked that on corner lots with a 35' special setback the house becomes even narrower. The proposed changes take away from architectural features. Bob Henkel, 1065 Singingwood, felt that angles would solve a lot of the problems and would reduce the bulk and size of the building. He said that the association represents the 3 homeowners who are affected by a house on a 100'+ wide lot which can be 35' high and noted that in their association there are many large lots that can accommodate a large house which would be allowed to be 35' high. He remarked that the bulk of the house should be in the center of the property. He was in favor of limiting the building height in the R -O zone to 30' -0 ". There were no other persons desiring to speak in favor of or in opposition to this item. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Clark to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 6 Staff said that the side yard setback cannot be divided and it should be a minimum of 10% of the width of the lot on both sides or a minimum of 5' Commissioner Amato was in favor of the changes and did not want to shift the house. He wondered if the text amendment should be continued for more review. Commissioner Szany wondered if a sliding scale would work and if it would possible to move the side yard setback from one side to the other which would allow for creativity and flexibility and suggested an 8 -12% side yard setback instead of 10 %. He commented that the above would give flexibility to move the house around instead of having it in the center of the lot. He remarked that in other cities that he has worked in the above seems to work well for new developments. Chairman Papay said that shifting the house to one side would be beneficial to one neighbor but to the disadvantage of the one whom the house is closer to. He stated that increasing the setback is desirable and the proposed changes would require that the house is centered on the lot and is symmetrical. Staff explained that the building height is measured from the average of the lowest and highest point to the existing grade of that portion of the site covered by the building. It was noted the chimney can be 2' over the roof line. Commissioner Clark was in agreement with Mr. Wyman's comments and remarked that this latest revision has been in the works since December and he was not in favor of continuance. He felt that the maximum height for the R -O should be 30' and remarked that height of the building is what causes massiveness. The second floor of a dwelling is usually what has the most impact on adjacent neighbors. Commissioner Szany thought that the height should be increased for the R -O properties, since the lot size requirements are greater than R -1 zone and felt that angles might help lower the building. Commissioner Hedlund was in favor of the 30' height limitation. Staff commented that angles are hard to enforce and verify in the field. It was noted that angles restrict architectural design. Chairman Papay commented that if a project does not comply with Code requirements for either a new home or for a second -story addition, the project will come before the Commission for review. Mike Miller explained the Commission's options and said that the Commission can recommend approval of the text amendment to the Council with amendments or as it is proposed. The Commission may also recommend denial of the text amendment to the Council. Councilman Ciraulo stated that the Council is in favor of more restrictive regulations and remarked that a moratorium was even discussed. He urged the Commission to vote on this item tonight and make a recommendation to the Council. Chairman Papay wondered if there could be an alternative that would allow for more flexibility with moving the house on the lot. Mr. Woolard remarked that on most properties the changes would be very minimal and would not be noticeable. On a 100' wide lot with a 10% setback it would be 10' on either side and if the percentage was to range from 8 -12% that would change the setbacks to 8' and 12' which is not noticeable. Staff remarked that by off setting the house one neighbor will be more impacted than the other. Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 7 MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Clark, seconded by Commissioner Amato to recommend approval of TA 90 -006 subject to the recommendations in the staff report with the additional recommendation that a maximum 30' -0" height limit be established for R -O zone. ROLL CAW AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Patty Blum, 235 Hillgreen Place, asked who was responsible for the water shed on the development on the north part of the City (Bluth Hill). Mr. Woolard explained that the damaged water shed is in the City of Monrovia. RESOLUTION 1438 A resolution granting CUP 90 -007 for a martial arts school at 149 E. Duarte Road. Mr. Woolard read the titles of the resolution MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Clark to adopt Resolution 1438 and to formally affirm the decision of June 12, 1990 and the votes thereon. ROLL CALL: AYES: NOES: Commissioners Amato, Clark, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Chairman Papay noted there is a five working day appeal period. MATTERS FROM COUNCIL None MATTERS FROM COMMISSION In response to a question from Commissioner Clark, Mike Miller noted that Newco is the new trash company in the City who took over the City's trash contract. Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 8 MATTERS FROM STAFF None ADJOURNMENT 9:30 p.m.. Secretary, Arcadia Planning Commission Arcadia City Planning Commission 6/26/90 Page 9