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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJULY 26, 1988 . . Planning Commission proceedings are taped recorded and on file in the office of the Planning Department. MINUTES ARCADIA CllY PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Tuesday, July 26, 1988 The Planning Commission oflhe City of Arcadia met in regular session on Tuesday, July 26, 1988 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 CAli.: PRESENT: ABSENT: Commissioners Amato. Hedlund, Szany, Papay Commissioner Clark MOTION 11 was moved by Commissioner Hedlund, seconded by Commissioner Szanyto excuse Commissioner Clark from tonight's meeting. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. MINUTES MOTION Commissioner Hedlund remarked thaI on page 3 of the Minutes, the requested set back was 30' and not 35'. He also commented that on page 9 he stated that ....he was not pleased with the guest parking and the garage and he felt that it was not a good situation but it was better than having a straight in driveway and would eliminate the requested modification but would be undesirable'. It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve the Minutes of July 12, 1988 as amended. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. MOTION /1 was moved by Commissioner Hedlund. seconded by Commissioner Amato to read all lesolutions by title only and waive reading the full body of the resolutions. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. OTHERS ATTENDING: Council Uaison Mary Young City Attorney Michael Miller Planning Director William Woolard Senior Planner Donna Butler Associate Planner Wilfred Wong Secretary Silva Vergel - - - - - . - - - - - - - - ,- ~ - - - - ... - - - - - - - -, - - - - - - - . . The City Attorney announced that the City Charter requires that for any action to be adopted <;>r approved a majority of the entire membership must vote in favor of he particular motion. If the required three votes are not obtained the motion would fail. If the required three votes are not obtained (1) an applicant may request continuance and it is up to the Commission to decide whether or not they want to grant it; (2) the matter could be heard and then deferred for final decision pending participation of the absent members as long as they review the records of this proceedings which would be made available to them .or (3) the matter could simply go forward to the City Council. - - - - - - - - - ~'- - - - - - ~ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - ~ PUBLIC HEARING CUP 88-016 46 W. Las Tunas Dr. Poseidon Foods, Inc. dba Burger Palace Consideration of a conditional use permit for the expansion of an existing eating establishment so that seating can be increased to accommodate 32 persons. CUP 87-11 permitted seating for 12 persons. The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened. Richard Hayden, 1810 S. Santa Anita, was there to represent the owner Beverly Hayden. He commented that the majority of their business is during the lunch hours. Most of their customers are from the nearby real estate office and the businesses in the immediate area. He submitted a petition and remarked that the people that signed the pelition are in favor of the expansion. He indicated that some ofthe parking has not been reflected In the plans and said that his patrons can park on the other side of the center on Uve Oak. He said they are in agreement with all of the conditions in the staff report. Staff said that Mr. and Mrs. Hayden are not the original applicants for CUP 87-11 who agreed to 12 seats. Mr. Hayden said that they purchased the business in January and at the time of purchase the tables and chairs were already in place and they were unaware of the violation. MOllON It was moved by Commissioner Hedlund, seconded by Commissioner Szany to close the publiC hearing. The motion passed by,voice vote with none dissenting. Commissioner Szany noted that he has been thereon several occasions during lunch hours and has never had a problem with parking. There doesn't seem to be a parking problem but parking may be a problem in the future when the center Is more successful. He felt that it would be hard to deny the request since he has never had any problems at the site. In response to questions, staff explained that when the canter was built, Code required that there be 63 parking spaces but they only had 58 spaces. Since then three eating establishments with limited seating have opened businesses there and requested parking modifications. Normally an eating establishment would require 20 spaces per 1000 sq. ft. but by limiting the seating to 5 spaces per 1000 sq. ft. parking is adequate. The parking in the rear, along Uve Oak Ave., isn't counted as part.of the required parking and when the Modification Committee reviewed the parking modification and approved it took that into account as a mitigating factor. The owner of Arcadia City Planning Commission July 26, 1988 Page 2 . . the site is aware of the parking deficiency and staff has talked with him on several occasions regarding that matter. Chairman Papay said that,there are presently 2vacant'spots in the center and after the pizza business opens both these eating establishments will be operating during lunch hours. Commissioner Amato said that since there is. no parking problem he would be in favor of the expansion. Commissioner Hedlund concurred. MOTDJ It was moved by Commissioner Hedlund, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approve CUP 88-016 subject to the conditions in the staff report. . ROLLCALL: AYES. IIX:E): ABSENT': Commissioners Amato, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Commissioner Clark There is a fIVe working day appeal period after the adoption of'the resolution. PUBLIC HEARING MP 88-22 1 01 0 Coronado Dr. Chris Construction Co., Inc. Consideration olan appeal of the Santa Anita Village Homeowner's Association's denial of a one-story 3,245 sq. ft. dwelling with an attached three car garage. The staff report was presented. Staff remarked that there is a two-story house to the west of the proposed house. The public.hearing was opened. David Olson, Chris Construction; 909 S. Santa.Anita, the developer said that the proposed single-story house will be 3,245 sq. ft., with a 618 sq. ft. attached garage. He described the floor plan in detail and said that the house wlllhave high ceilings. He commented.that the ARB_ was against the height of the house and the 3-car garage. He indicated that the height of the roof complies with the new regulations. He said that !he roof is at a 7:12 pitch, which means that for every 12' across the roof rises 7'. The 25' height of the house is necessary to accommodate the high ceiling at the entry way and the pop-out window at the entry way which is an architectural feature and will break up the look of the roof. If they were to reduce the height of the roof they would have to delete the pop-out window at the entry way. It was suggested at the ARB meeting to reduce the pitch to 6:12 which would reduce the height of the house to approximately 22'-3". He said that only a small portion of the roof will be 25' high. He felt that. the ARB's suggestion to reduce the height to 20' is unjustified especially since Code allows it to be 25'. Arcadia City Planning Commissi.on July 26,1988 Page 3 . . He stated that they could technically build a two-story house but that would mean that the house would be straight up and the angle of the roof would be less and thereby the neighbors would lose their privacy. The house to the west of the proposed site is a two-story house,. approximately 25' high and has approximately 3000 sq. ft. of living area. The proposed house meets the new regulations; i.e., setback, height and the lot coverage requirements. In regard to the three car attached garage, Mr. Olson. said that the 2-cargarage is 38' from the property line, 50' back from the curb and the single-car garage is set back 2' from the 2-car garage which helps break up the look of the garage. He commented that recently a new detached 3-car garage was built at the corner of Golden West and Balboa which with a setback of 20' from the property line and noted that another 3-car attached garage was approved on Victoria for a new two-story house. He feit that the 3-car garage would be beneficial and would mean that the cars would be taken off the driveway and will be out of sight. He said that the house to the east has 2 sets of2-car garages in the rear of the house and noted that sometimes it may be cumbersome to get out of the car and unlock the gate to drive to the rear of the lot just to park in the garage, therefore. it would be highly possible that the cars could be left on the driveway. In regard to the Commission's concern <if the massive appearance of the 3-car garage from the street, Mr. Olson noted that they could put brick pavers or different color concrete to break up the look of the driveway. He said that the driveway will be narrOW up to where it has to curve to pick up the third garage and will not be a circular driveway. He said that at the ARB meeting, the members felt thatthey could not approve a 3-car garage. At that meeting, Chris Construction suggested that they could utilize nice, sectional, roll up garage doors with glass similar to the one used in the house at the comer of Golden West and Balb()a to enhance the appearance. They would keep the approach to the garage narrow as it exists' now and it would widen just enough to be able to drive to' the 3rd garage. There would also be nice landscaping such as small trees, hedges and bushes to help block the 3rd garage from the sireet. He noted that the ARB would have to approve the landscape plan prior to any action from the developer. Elizabeth Mulick, 1 house to the east of the proposed house submitted some pictures of the homes in the area and said that she would be in favor of the proposed house and asked the Commission to approve it. She submitted photographs of the area. Judy Packer, 1016 Coronado, was in favor of the house and said that her house is the two-story house that Mr. Olson referred to in the beginning of his testimony. She said that Arcadia is changing for the better'and remarked that new homes increase property values and beautify the City. She said that she was not in favor of the 3-car garage but felt that it would be better than seeing the cars parked ,in the driveway and commented that if they use decorative doors it would make it look much nicer. Gary Kovacic, 947 Coronado, chairman of the ARB explained the reasons why the ARB denied the project. He said that the resolution set by the City asks that the ARB look' for projects that are harmonious, compatible and in proportion with the neighborhood and they didn't feel that this house would be any of the:above. He.commented thatthe ARB felt that the 3-car garage would be too visible from the street and would dominate almost 50% of the front yard. He said that the ARB isn't adverse to 3-car garages and routinely approves additions that are proposed for rear yards. They would. be in favor of the 3-car garage If the developer would build it in the back yard but that would probably reduce the size of the house. In regard to the height of the house he said that most single-story homes in the Village are about 15'-16' in height and noted that the ARB felt that 20' would be acceptable. He stated that the ARB didn't think,that the structure Arcadia City Planning Commission July 26, 1988 Page 4 . . would be compatible with the neighborhood and noted that they felt that the Village is unique and that their suggestions to the applicant were reasonable and adequate. In response'to a comment from Commissioner Hedlund who felt that the house is very nice, Mr. Kovacic said that although it is a very attractive house. it doesn't fit into the area and on the lot and is out of place. Gordon Murchey, 1004 Coronado. east of the subject site, spoke against the proposal. He said that he owns the house with the two sets of 2-car garages. In response to a comment made by Mr. Olson, he said that he has never had any problems with opening his gates and driving his cars to the rear to park in his garage which are In the back yard. The majority of the homes in the Village are small and a 25' high roof would most definitely not be compatible with the area and it would be comparable to a 2-story residence. The garage will be highly visible from the street and the tree in the front yard may not mitigate the situation greatly. Steven Phillipl, 804 Balboa, the president of the association, defended the ARB's position on the subject and said that the total square footage of the lot is approximately 9,000 sq. ft. and the proposed structure including the garage would total almost 4,000 sq. ft. which Is almost half of the totaL square footage for the total site. Based on a study that was conducted recently, it was noted that most of the homes in the area are about 2,000 sq. ft. and cover 18% of the lot. vs. the proposed house which will be twice the size of the average homes in the area. The same study revealed,that 82"10 of the people that responded wanted the sizes of the homes limited and that they wanted the ARB to dO more. He didn't think that the proposed house will be Compatible, in harmony or in proportion with the neighborhood. He felt that the roof for the proposed house is too high and the pitch of 7:12 is too excessive, No other single-story house in the Village is similar to this house. In response to a question from Commissioner Szany, Mr. Phillipl said that the house at the corner of Golden West and Balboa doesn't blend in well and doesn't fit in the area. In rebuttal, Mr. Olson said when they propose a house. they try to work within the perimeters that has been set. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Szany. seconded by Commissioner ftmato to close the public hearing. The motion passed by voice vote with none dissenting. Chairman Papay said that when the ARB denies a project, the more detailed and specific the findings.of their denial, the better for the developer. He said that he hoped that they would try to find a compromise. Commissioner Hedlund liked the house and said that it has a nice, soft look and he didn't have any problems with a 3~r garage which is broken up by the narrow approach and the 3 garages are "Olin a row which helps soften that affect. He also liked the way the chimney was designed. He was concerned that the 25' high roof might set a precedent since several comments have been made to that affect In regard to the house at the corner of Golden West and Balboa. Chairman Papay 'didn't think that the Commission will set a precedent and felt that each project should be reviewed on Its individual merits and said that he didn't feel pressured by previous decisions. Arcadia City Planning Commission July 26, 1988 . PageS . . Mike Miller, the City Attorney, concurred with Chairman Papay's comments and said that each case should be considered Individually. Commissioner Szany said thatthe proposed house is iow key and doesn't look like the house at the comer of'Golden West and Balboa. He was displeased that that the proposed house is being compared to the house at the comer of Golden West and Balboa which he thought maybe it should have been denied. He said that he hasn~ seen many new houses under 3,000 sq. ft. and said that people pay a lot of money for a new house and said thattheywantlarge homes and usually a 3- car garage. This is a prestigious area and he couldn't see a house under 3,000 sq. ft. with a 2- car garage and commented that this house will be sold for probably over $500,000 and noted that the he thought that the purchaser would want those amenities in the house. He felt that decorative doors with windows could soften the look of the 3-car garage and landscaping which should be approved by the Planning Department would also help mitigate that. He said the 6:12 pitch roof would reduce the height to 22'.23' and said that most of the homes in the Village are approximately 40 years old and obviously a new house would. not iook iike the homes that were built then. He;said that a planter or some type of landscaping could be planted by the.3rd garage to camouflage it and thedrlveway should be softened by using brick. He remarked that he would prefer a single-story house and commented that if the garage was to be in the rear yard then thatwould probably change it to a two-story house. He said that he would like to see this type of a house in the Village rather than the one at the comer of Golden West and Balboa. The applicant submitted pictures of garage doors to the Commission. After reviewing the photos, Commissioner Hedlund commented that the garage doors resemble a "lire house". He wondered if the Chinese Elm tree should be saved or if it should be replaced with a nicer tree. Commissioner Amato agreed with Commissioner Szany and said thatlhe pitch of the roof could. be reduced and commented that a 3-car garage would be a necessity. Chairman Papay remarked that the door on the,3rdgarage Could be of an entirely different style to improve the look, of the garage aesthetically. The consensus of the Commission was that the developer tried to design a house that would meet the ARB's requirements based on prior experience. They fell that a 2-car garage Is outdated. It was also noted that if the pitch of the roof was reduced to 6:12 the height of the roof would decrease from 25' to 22'-3" vii. 20' suggested by the ARB. MOTION It was.moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Hedlund to approve MP 88-22 subject to the conditions In the staff report with the additional cOnditions that the garage doors be architecturally treated. Said treaiment shall be reviewed and approved by the Planning Dept., that a landscape plan shal! be provided for the review and approval of the Planning Dept., thatthe driveway be narrowed down as shown on the plans and that the driveway shall be enhanced with textured with paving material, subject to the review and approval of the Planning Dept. and that the roof be reduced to a 6:12 pitch. Arcadia City Planning Commission July 26, 1988 Page 6 '. . . ROLL CALL: AYES: NCES: ABSENT: Commissioners Amato. Hedlund. Szany. Papay None Commissioner Clark There is a five working day appeal period after the adoption ofthe resolution. - ~ ~ - - - - ... - -.... .......... -.... .... .. .. - ........ -.... .. .. - AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION None PlANNING COMMISSION DETERMINATION ADR 88-78 1240 S. Golden West Modifications to Reso. 3731, height of architecturai features to exceed 25' and signs to project above the roof line of the building. The staff report was presented. Staff commented that all the signs will have to be go through the ADR procedure and staff will review the size. location, material and square footage. . Mr. Woolard remarked 'that the general location of the signs relative to the pipe and screen mesh addition is represented In the rendering. Commissioner Szany thought that it was a very nice. contemporary design and blends in well with the Vons shopping center. Chairman Papay said that the building is very massive and the treatment breaks it up nicely. MOTION It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Amato to approveADR 88-78 and the modifications subject to the conditions in the staff. report. ROLL CALL: AYES: i-a:s: ABSENT: Commissioners Amato, Hedlund. Szany, Papay None Commissioner Clark .... ---- ---- --- --.. -- --.. -- ---------- --- RESOLUTION 1381 A resolution granting C.U.P. 88-018 to expand the existing preschool to include the additional classes kindergarten through eighth grade and to increase the enrollment from 48 children to 58 children at 141 W. Las Tunas Drive. Arcadia City Planning Commission July 26. 1988 Page 7 . . Mr. Woolard read the titles of the resolutions. MOllON It was moved by Commissioner Szany, seconded by Commissioner Amato to adopt Resolution 1381 to formally affirm the decisions of July 12, 1988, reflecting the findings,of the Commission and the votes thereon. ROLL CALL: AYES: t>OS: ABSENT: Commissioners Amato, Hedlund, Szany, Papay None Commissioner Clark There is a fIVe working day appeal period. MATTERS FROM COUNCIL None MATTERS FROM COMMISSION Commissioner Hedlund said that he was concerned about some of the landscaping around Live Oak which is not always kept up and wondered if something could be done to require its maintenance. Mr. Woolard remarked that the code requires that properties be kept up and noted that usually when a property changes ownership the landscaping dies and is replaced by new landscaping. Landscape problems are handled:through code enforcement for existing centers and new developments usually are required to plant landscaping and maintain It through the cup procedure. MATTERS FROM STAFF None ADJOURNMENT 9:30 p.m. hLI.1vJ.'A,6'O I/JtfrJ-tf/4. oJ Secretary, Arcadia Planning Commission Arcadia City Planning Commission July 26, 1988 Page 8