HomeMy WebLinkAbout3-9-93Planning Commission proceedings are tape recorded and on file in the office of the Planning Dept.
MINUTES
ARCADIA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
Tuesday, March 9, 1993
The Planning Commission of the City of Arcadia met in regular session on Tuesday, March 9,1993, at 7:30 p.m.
in the Council Chambers of the Arcadia City Hall, 240 West Huntington Drive, with Chairman Torn Clark
presiding.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL:
PRESENT: Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Hedlund, Huang, Clark
ABSENT: None
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Daggett 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.
MINUTES
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Daggett to approve the Minutes
of January 26,1993 as published. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting.
OTHERS ATTENDING:
City Attorney Michael Miller
Assistant Planning Director Donna Butler
Assistant Planner William Stokes
Assistant Planner James Kasama
Secretary Silva Vergel
CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING Consideration of a text amendment to the Arcadia
TA 92-006 Municipal Code to establish a R -H (Residential Hillside
Single- Family) zone designation and regulations.
Staff noted this item has been continued to July 13th.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Daggett, seconded by Commissioner Huang to continue the public
hearing to July 13,1993. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting.
CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING Consideration of a zone change to rezone the following areas
Z 92-003 to the R -H (Residential Hillside Single - Family) zone:
I
A. The R -M & D (residential Mountainous Single - Family
and Architectural Design) zoned hillside area north and
west of Canyon Rd. (not including Wilderness Park) and
B. The R -1 & D 10,000 (Second One- Family 10,000 sq. ft.)
zoned hillside area west of Santa Anita Canyon Rd.
Staff noted this item has been continued to July 13th.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Daggett to continue the public
hearing to July 13,1993. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting.
PUBLIC HEARING MP 93-003
321 E. Duarte Rd.
Sunny & Grace Chan
The staff report was presented.
Consideration of modifications for a 3 -unit residential
project.
Staff commented that the applicant was unable to get permission from the neighbor to the east for a common
driveway.
The public hearing was opened.
James Wang, 1609 W. Valley, Alhambra, the architect of the project said they are m agreement with all of
the conditions in the staff report. He said they have made attempts to have a combined driveway with the
properties to the east, but those are new units and they do not want to share a joint driveway.
In response to a question by the Commission, Mr. Wang stated the tile on the front of the building would give
some texture and would go well with the tile on the roof.
No one else spoke in favor of or in opposition to this item.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Hedlund to close the public hearing.
The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting.
Commissioner Amato liked the proposed colors for the building.
Commissioner Daggett thought it was a nice development.
In answer to a question by the Commission, staff said all the units comply with the back out requirements.
The guest parking space is the one that requires modification. There is a 6' -0" wall between the driveways.
The landscaping area between the building and the driveway ranges from 2' -0" to 7-0" in width but there
will be some areas without landscaping. Staff noted that landscaping is not required along the property line
but there has to be landscaping between the property line and the building.
Staff commented that there will not be a total elimination of the landscaping but some areas will have less
than 5' -0" of landscaping while some areas will have more.
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Commissioner Daggett did not think this is an offensive building. He said the columns in the front are design
tricks to create interest. This is a narrow lot and the presence of the 6' wall will overshadow the value of the
landscaping. If the wall was to be deleted there would be a mass of concrete driveway.
The Commission felt the conditions below should be added:
• Planting (e.g. dinging vines) shall be provided along the easterly property line to screen the existing
wall. The actual locations and plants shall be subject to the review and approval of the Planning
Department.
• The "Accent Tile" shown as exterior finish item no. 13 shall be of an earth -tone color as depicted on the
colored elevation. A sample shall be provided for the review and approval of the Planning
Department.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Huang, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve MP 93-003
subject to the conditions in the staff report with the above mentioned conditions.
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
Chairman Clark
Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Huang, Clark
Commissioner Hedlund
noted that there is a five working day appeal period.
PUBLIC HEARING CUP 93-002
160 E. Duarte Rd.
Gail Marshall & Arlene Marshall
Consideration of conditional use permit and parking
modification to allow a family entertainment video and
game machine arcade with approximately 20 game
machines in a 1,075 sq. ft. retail space.
The staff report was presented.
Staff said there will be an area of 7x16' provided for bikes in front of the building. Depending on the type of
bike racks utilized, they can park up to a dozen bikes. The narrowest area of landscaping is 4' and they will
not be removing any landscaping to provide area for bike parking. The bike rack will not be on the sidewalk
or in the public right -of -way. They are proposing security devices to be placed on the building, inside and
outside to monitor the parking lot. The parking will be m the back of the building. This center has a
separate parking lot and does not share the parking lot with Alpha Beta Shopping Center. The eastern
portion of the Alpha Beta Shopping center is underutilized. The subject location is the only vacancy at this
location but there are a couple of vacancies in the adjacent center. The two windows facing Second Avenue are
tinted and it is difficult to see in during the day but in the evening it would be easy because the inside will be
well lit.
The public hearing was opened.
Gail Marshall, 2320 Lee Avenue, said they have studied this business for a long time. They have been to
arcades in other cities such as Temple City, El Monte, Azusa and Northridge. All of the owners have
remarked that they have not encountered any problems. She stated that this would be a good business for
this location because it would probably bring in business for the adjacent center. She did not think there
would be a negative impact and said that she had not heard anything negative about this use. She said that
they plan to have a very strict operation. One of the owners will be present at all times and they will hire
whatever help they need to assist them in supervising the store. She said they plan to maintain a very well
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run business which would nave strict rules and regulations. They feel that it would be better to have this
type of a facility than having kids go to liquor stores or the 7- Eleven to play the video games, where liquor is
sold and there is little supervision. In their facility adult supervision would be available at all times.
Their arcade will open at 2:00 p.m. which is after Lunch hour for the children attending school. They do not
want to be open during lunch hours and have children come there during that time and not return to school
after lunch.
In response to comments, Ms. Marshall stated that between the hours of 2:00 -3:00 p.m. the customers will
have to be over 18 years old because of Code regulations and they have discussed opening at 3:00 p.m. instead
of 2:00 p.m. She said they will not tolerate loitering in the parking lot and they will have security monitors
inside and outside. This will allow them to keep an eye out and if they feel someone is causing trouble they
will ask them to leave. They will also install speakers on the outside of the building and if they notice
loitering, they will inform them to move on. They want to be good neighbors for the adjacent businesses and
do not wish to cause trouble. The change counter inside will be elevated several feet, and they will have
mirrors in hidden corners so they will have an unobstructed view of the whole arcade.
In answer to a question by the Commission, Ms. Marshall said they would not want to remove the tint from
the window because during the day, the sunlight would limit the view of the machines. She said they are
willing to do what would be necessary and hire as many help as they may need to run a successful and safe
establishment.
Mr. Miller said that if the patrons create problems they will be subject to the Business License provisions and
their CUP can be suspended or revoked.
Ms. Marshall showed an article which was printed in a Temple City newspaper reviewing an arcade in their
city after six months of being in business and praising the owners. Temple City also gave them permission to
increase the number of machines. She was confident that their establishment would be the same and would
enjoy the same success.
In response to a question by the Commission, staff said that the Police Department was notified of the
proposed use and they did not feel that there would be problems.
Ms. Marshall said that one of the things they did before going through with this was to talk to the Police
Department. They talked with Sgt. Sanderson who told them that this would probably be a very good
establishment and the chances are trouble would be reduced because kids would have a place to go and they
would not be bored and available to create problems.
Daniel Schofield, 468 W. Woodruff, felt this would be a good location for kids to go especially because of the
adult supervision. He thought parents would feel comfortable knowing that their kids are going to a place
which would provide a safe and supervised environment. Presently, the mall or the library are the local
hang outs for children and this location would be a better alternative.
Lon Dayhoff, 415 Huntington Dr., San Marino, representing East -West Federal Bank, spoke against the
proposed use. He was concerned about the type of customer base that will be attracted by a video and game
arcade and the potential threat to their customers and neighbors. He said that most of the youth in the
Arcadia community are of reputable character and would enjoy the social amenity of an arcade in their
neighborhood, however, the site will undoubtedly attract many undesirables and could foster juvenile
delinquency and possibly even criminal activity. He was concerned about the safety of their customers many
of whom are elderly. He said many customers utilize their ATM machines in the evenings and they would
probably be intimidated by this business and the possible undesirables loitering across the street and they
would feel vulnerable to any potential robberies. He feared that their business would suffer and said that
they looked long and hard for a location which would be in a residential neighborhood. He wondered how
two ladies would be able to handle and supervise the kids that would go there.
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In rebuttal, Ms. Marshall as..ured the Commission that they would do whatever is necessary to run a safe
establishment. She remarked they would hire as many assistants that would be required to run the business.
No one else spoke in favor of or in opposition to this item.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Daggett to close the public hearing.
The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting.
Commissioner Amato was in favor of the proposed use, especially because it would keep kids off the streets
and they would play the video games in a safe and supervised environment rather than a liquor store type of
an establishment. He did not think the gender of the persons running the store would make a difference in
whether it would be a safe business or not.
Commissioner Daggett agreed.
Commissioner Hedlund did not think they could have found a worse location for the proposed use. He was
comforted, however, with the City Attorney's remark that their business license could be revoked if there
were too many complaints and problems associated and as a result of this arcade.
Commissioner Huang remarked the applicants seem to have good intentions. He thought this type of a
business would provide good family entertainment but it would be difficult to control the kids both inside and
outside the arcade. He recommended a status report be brought to the Commission in six months determining
if the business has had a negative impact. He also suggested the reduction of hours of operation in the
evenings to 8:00 p.m.
Chairman Clark was in favor of the proposal. He remarked that if it does not work out, they could revoke
their business license. He thought it would be great for the community.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Huang, seconded by Commissioner Hedlund to approve CUP 93-002
subject to the conditions in the staff report with the additional condition that a report be forward to
the Commission in six months to review and assess the situation and the hours of operation be reduced
to 8:00 p.m.
Mr. Miller said that the problems would be monitored by the Planning Department. If the Commission would
like a status report, it could be forwarded to the Commission in six months. The Planning and Police
Departments utilize different techniques to resolve problems and he did not think the Planning Commission
should change the hour of operation and remarked that would be a significant change.
Commissioner Huang stated that the status report can help the Commission determine if there are problems
which could be as a result of the number of machines. If that is the case then the Commission can reduce the
number of machines allowed.
Commissioner Amato was in favor of what the applicant is trying to do and he thought the Police would be
able the monitor the site.
Commissioner Daggett did not think remaining open until 10:00 in the evening would be a problem. He
thought they should vote on the project as presented and remarked he did not want to be an enforcing agency.
Chairman Clark agreed.
Commissioner Hedlund was concerned with the bikes around the site.
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3/9/93
Page 5
After the above discussion, Commissioner Huang amended his motion to:
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Huang, seconded by Commissioner Hedlund to approve CUP 93-002
subject to the conditions in the staff report with the additional condition to limit the hours of operation
to 8:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL:
AYES: Commissioner Huang
NOES: Commissioners Amato, Daggett Hedlund and Clark
The motion failed.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Daggett, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve CUP 93-002
subject to the conditions in the staff report.
ROLL CALL:
AYES: Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Hedlund, Clark
NOES: Commissioner Huang
Chairman Clark noted that there is a five working day appeal period after the adoption of the resolution.
PUBLIC HEARING MP 93-002 Consideration of a modification for an 11'-6" northerly side
2323 Greenfield Ave. yard setback second -story bay windows in lieu of 15' -0"
Patrick Snyder required.
The staff report was presented.
Staff indicated we had received a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Thoss at 2317 Greenfield in favor of the request.
The public hearing was opened.
Patrick Snyder, 2323 Greenfield, the applicant of the project was present to answer any questions.
Staff said that building permits were pulled m 1990 but they expired and the applicant requested a time
extension. Because the plans was submitted under the old Code the new regulations do not apply to this plan.
The existing setbacks comply with the old requirements. The bay windows are the only item which require
meodification.
Jack Thoss, 2317 Greenfield, was confused about why the modifications were requested and why the
applicant is permitted to request them. He thought his neighbor should comply with the standards.
Ms. Butler responded by saying that under the circumstances explained above, Mr. Snyder does not have to
change his existing plans to meet the new setbacks. She further explained that the plans were submitted
when the old regulations were in affect, and the applicant is not required to comply with the new setback
requirements. Because the applicant added bay windows, the modification is necessary.
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Page 6
Mr. Thoss was angry at ti. .hove response and felt strongly that the applicant should comply.
No one else spoke in favor of or in opposition to this item.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Hedlund, seconded by Commissioner Amato to dose the public hearing.
The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting.
Ms. Butler explained that once a building permit has been issued, a person has 180 days to request a
legitimate inspection otherwise the permit will expire, unless an extension is requested.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Huang, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve MP 93-002
subject to the conditions in the staff report.
ROLL CALL:
AYES: Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Hedlund, Huang, Qark
NOES: None
Chairman Clark noted that there is a five working day appeal period.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION None
WAIVER OF PARCEL MAP
35 W. Las Flores and
1929 -1937 S. Santa Anita Ave.
Harry & Gail Kempt
The staff report was presented.
MOTION
Consideration of a request for waiver of Final Parcel
Map.
It was moved by Commissioner Hedlund, seconded by Commissioner Daggett to grant the Waiver of
Parcel Map.
ROLL CALL:
AYES: Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Hedlund, Huang, Clark
NOES: None
RESOLUTION 1496
Ms. Butler read the title of the resolution.
MOTION
A resolution waiving the requirements of a final parcel
map for the property at 35 W. Las Flores and 1929 -1937 S.
Santa Anita Ave.
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Page 7
It was moved by Commissioner Daggett, seconded by Commissioner Amato to adopt Resolution 14% and to
formally affirm the decision of March 9, 1993 and the vote thereon.
ROLL CALL:
AYES: Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Hedlund, Huang, Clark
NOES: None
RESOLUTION 1497 A resolution granting CUP 93-002, for a family entertainment
video and game machine arcade at 160 E. Duarte Rd.
Ms. Butler read the title of the resolution.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Amato, seconded by Commissioner Daggett to adopt Resolution 1497
and to formally affirm the decision of March 9, 1993 and the votes thereon.
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
Commissioners Amato, Daggett, Hedlund, Huang, Clark
None
Chairman Clark noted that there is a five working day appeal period.
MATTERS FROM COUNCIL None
MATTERS FROM COMMISSION
Commissioner Hedlund summarized the ADR Committee's actions.
MATTERS FROM STAFF None
ADJOURNMENT 9:00 p.m. to April 13,1993
Secretary, Arcadia Planning Commission
Arcadia City Planning Commission
3/9/93
Page 8