HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPRIL 27, 1999
I)
. MINUTES .
Arcadia City Planning Commission
Tuesday, April 27,1999
7:15 p.Ol. intbe Council Cbamben
Planning Commission proceedings are tape"recorded and on file in the office of the Community
Development Division,
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The Planning Commission of the City of Arcadia met in regular session on Tuesday, April 27, 1999 at
1:15 p,m, in the Council Chambers of the City of Arcadia, at 240 W. Huntington Drive with Chairman
PauLKalemkiarian, presiding,
ROLL CALL:
PRESENT: Commissioners Bruckner, Huang, Murphy, Kalemkiarian
ABSENT: Commissioner Sleeter
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Bruckner, seconded by Commissioner Murphy to excuse
COmmissioner Sleeter from tonight's meeting, The motion passed by voice vote with none
dis,senting,
,
OTHERS ATTENDING
Council Member Gail Marshall
City Attorney Michael Miller
Community Development Administrator Donna Butler
Associate, Planner James Kasama
Assistant Planner CandyceBurnett
Secretary Silva Vergel
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM STAFF REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS
Ms, Butler noted that a petition was submitted in favor of item #6 (MP 99-001) on the agenda,
TIME RESERVED FOR THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WISH TO ADDRESS THE PLANNING
COMMISSION ON NON-PUBLlCHEARING MAlTERS (5 MINUTE LIMIT PER PERSON)
None
I. MINUTES of 4/13/99
MOTION
It was moved by Co~ssioner Bruckner, seconded by com!ioner Murphy to approve the
Minutes of April 13th as published,
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Huang, Murphy, Kalemkiarian
None
Commissioner Sleeter
2,PUBLIC HEARING 1M 52874
401 E, California St.
Hank Jong
Consideration ofa tentative map for a 16-unit residential condominium project,
The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened,
May Tang, 11823 Slauson Ave" #18, Santa Fe Springs, said they are in agreement with all of the
conditions in the staff report,
Chainnan Kalemkiarianclosed the public hearing,
The consensus of the Planning Commission was favorable.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Bruckner, seconded by Commissioner Mllrphy to approve 1M
52874 subject to the conditions in the staff report,
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Huang,Murphy, Kalemkiarian
None
Commissioner Sleeter
Chainnan Kalemkiarian noted that there is a ten-day appeal period, Appeals are to be filed by May 10,
1999,
3. PUBLIC HEARING MP 99-006 & ADR 99-005
820-826 Golden West Ave,
Alan Hsieh for Uptown Development, Inc,
Consideration of modifications for a proposed 5-unit residential condominium project,
The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened,
Daphne Fan, 13501 Trace St., Baldwin Park, the architect of the project was present. She stated they are
in agreement with all of the conditions in the staff report, She remarked that the west elevation fronts
Golden West Ave,
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.
.
No one else spoke in favor of or in opposition to this item,
Chainnan Kalemkiarian closed the public hearing.
Commissioner Bruckner remarked that although this.is a nice design, he would like to see front doors on
the street side, The front elevations are unceremonious, To him .it appeared that the building was
sideways.
Chairrtlan Kalemkiarian remarked thatthe modifications areminorand this is a nice project
Ms, Butler said that the street side of the building' has a lot of articulation and the architect has
incorporated nice elements into the design,
Commissioner Huang thought itis a nice project,
Commissioner Murphy agreed with Commissioner Bruckner but said that the modifications are minor
but he would like the front to be the front.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Murphy, seconded by Commissioner Huang to approve MP 99-
006 & ADR 99-005 subjecttothe conditions. in the staff report,
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Huang, Murphy,Kalemkiarian
None
Commissionllr Sleeter
Chainnan Kalemkiarian noted that there is a five working-day appeal period. Appeals'are to be filed by
May 4, 1999,
4, PUBLIC HEARING TM 52880
1028-1036 S, First Ave,
Tritech Assoc,
Consideration of a tentative map for a 6-lot single-family residential subdivision,
The staff rejlort was presented,
Staff said that the applicant will need to revise the cul-de-sac design to meet all code requirements,
The public hearing was opened.
Tom Kao, Tritech Assoc" 735 W, Emerson, Monterey Park, said he was representing the owner. He
gave a brief history of what was previously approved on the site, The subject lot was approved for a
one-sided cul-de-sac with four homes, The property owner was .able to obtain the lot to the .north, which
is zoned R-2 and can be developed with a.2-unit condominium project By consolidating, they are able
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to create a 6-lot Single"family4ldivision instead of a one-sided cUI.!ac with four homes and two
condominiums on the R-2 lot The design that is before the Planning Commission tonight is a more
desirable development than what was previously planned,
Jack Ko, 17195 Newhope St., Fountain Valley, said the cul-de-sac was deliberately designed in this
manner so that it would be directly across from Christina St. He felt if the cul-de-sac was less than 90'
in diameter and offset slightly all the lots would comply with code, but it would result in a smaller
vehicular turnaround and an irregular shape to the cul-de-sac bulb,
Larry Williams, 130 Greenfield, asked if the design of the new homes were availaole,foneview?
Chairman Kalemkiariansaid this procedure is for the subdivision of the properties only,
Ms, Butler said that plans have not been submitted for the homes, Tliereis no architectural design
review for this area but the homes would need to comply with Code requirements, She indicated that if
the project complies with codeino additional public hearings would be necessary but if modifications
are required, a public hearing would be scheduled and property owners within 100' would be notified,
In responseto a question, staff said that two of the homes have been demolished, A grading plan has not
been submitted,
Mr. ~iIIer noted that the file is public record and can reviewed at the Community Development
Division,
Mr, Ko remarked that once they have drawn up the plans for the individual homeS, they would'be more
than,happy to show them to the neighbors,
No one else spoke in favor of or in opposition to this item,
Chairman Kalemkiarian closed the public hearing,
MOTION
It was moved by COlIunissioner Murphy, seconded by Commissioner Bruckner to approve TM
52880 subject to the conditions in the staff report wi$ the'additional conditions listed below:
1. The design be revised to meet all City Subdivision Code requirements
2, The removal of anyon-site trees is subject to approval by the Community Development
Division of a tree preservation plan,
ROLLCALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Huang, Murphy, Kalemkiarian
None
Commissioner Sleeter
Chairman Kalemkiarian noted that there is a ten-day appeal period, Appeals are to be filed by May 10,
1999,
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5,
PUBLIC HEARING ZaOl
l88W, Las Tunas Dr,
LEADS for American Stores Properties, Inc,
.
Consideration of a zone change from C-l (Limited Commercial) and PR-l (Single-Family
Residential with a Parking Overlay) to C-2 (General Commercial),
The staff report was presented and the public hearing was opened,
Daryl Christian, Leads, 1820 E, First St, Santa Ana was representing American Stores Properties, !nc,
He commented it would be easier' to ,develop the property if the zoning was consistent There is a
possibility of purchasing the property to the east. He anticipated that Sav-On would open in
approximately 1 ~ years,
No one else spoke in favor of or, in opposition to this item,
ChainnanKalemkiarian closed the public hearing,
MOTION
It was moved by Chainnan Bruckner,. seconded by Commissioner Huang to recommend
approvalofZ-99-00l to the City Council.
ROLLCALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Huang, Murphy, Kalemkiarian
None
Commissioner Sleeter
Commissioner Bruckner expressed concern that his home was approximately 1200' from the property
involved in MP 99-007, Mr, Miller said that there would be no conflict of interest for Commissioner
Bruckner to vote on MP 99-007 because his home IS not within 300' of the subject site, The Fair
Political Practices Commission deals with economical interest of homeowners within 300', If
Commissioner Bruckner's home was less than 300' from the subject property, then that Commissioner
would have a conflict of interest. If the Commissioner's property is between 300' -2500' of the subject
property, and if the, improvement results in a profit of $lO,OOO,for that commissioner, then there would
be a conflict of interest but in this case, he fel~ Commissioner Bruckner would not have a conflict,
The City Attorney advised thatMr, Huang can present his project as a private citizen because of an
exception to the conflict of interest law allowing participation concerning your own private residence,
Mr, Huang was advised that he cannot act as a Planning Commissioner on his own project. Mr, Huang
agreed and did not act as a Commissioner concerning this agenda item, He stayed in the audience and
did not vote,
Commissioner Bruckner commented that his home is located a couple of blocks away from the subject
property,
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6,
PUBLIGHEARINGa9-007
1327 S,Eighth Ave,
Edward Huang
.
Consideration of modifications for a new two-story single-family residence,
The staffreport.was presented and the public hearing was opened.
Edward Huang, 69 W, Naomi, explained that as a professional planner with special interest in the
quality of the environment, he feels obligated, by his professional conscious, to construct a home that
would be friendly to the environment. For example, the proposed Eco-Home is designed to be energy
efficient and use renewable energy. Thus, it can consumelel!s electricity from the power grid, utilizing
less oil and coal to produce the power, resulting in less pollution to the environment. In other words, he
tookthe opportunity ofbuildiilg a personal dream house for his family to fulfill a professionaldream for
what an environmental friendly house should be,
He went on to say that his approach to develop the property is quite different from typical
developers/investors' approach, They would most likely clear all the trees.that arein the way, so a 9,000
sq, ft, house could be quickly built.
Due to the design, the oak tree on the lot would be saved because it does not interfere with the design or
construction, Whereas, developers would not'appreciate the tree he tried to relate the building with the
tree in a more sensible way, They purchased the property in June 1998. He hoped to provide an
alternative approach to the Planning Commission so they could eValuate this application from a different
angle rather than hold asel of city standards that is appropriate for the standard approach,
They took a sustainable ,or "green" approach for the development of the proposed Eco-home, It includes:
I, The Eco-home is designed with several general features to conseIVe water, be energy efficient and
utilize renewable energy, They range from simple devices such as low-flow plumbing fixtures,
high-efficiency appliances, and, drought-tolerant plants to sophisticated applications such as
roof-mounted photovoltaic collectors for generating electricity,
2. He i<jentified special features and assets associated with the property and developed the "responsive
design" schemes to improve the iot based on these features/assets. Some of the schemes don't
pertain directly to the modifications requested, but provide a more complete picture as to what they
intend for the project. .
The ,key assets on the site are three mature trees (oak, maple & Chinaberry), As illustrated by the
photos, these trees grow over the main building and in the summer their canopy covers a large area ,on
the ground and on the building, The Chinaberry spreads over a 22' area between the existing main
dwelling and guest house. These full grown trees will help reduce electricity consumption, not to
mention their biological benefits to wildlife, They also have added value because the Chinaberry and
the Maple are deciduous trees which permit solar heat gain in winter for the building; and the Oak is an
evergreen which can screen the cold winter draftsfrotn north,
The effort aims to not only preseIVeall three trees but also to take advantage of the fact that the Oak and
Chinaberry are lined up on the property, They knew that it would be difficult, time consuming, and
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costly, but they decided to pAthiS because they are not the "tYPiclevelopers" but are people with
professional conscious and a sincere concern for the environment,
He went on to say that the use of passive solar system can reduce electricity consumption thus air
pollution, Their passive solar design provides a cooler system to supply the cool air, including a Central
Cooler to anchor the entire supply component and a couple of smaller supplemental coolers, The Oak
and Chinaberry trees provide a sizable canopy for a good Central Cooler, The Central Cooler consists of
the following three integrated elements:
a) The Oak Court shaded by the oak to the north, 2-stoiy building mass to the south,porte-cochere to
the east, and the maple to the west, are the main and stable source for supply cool air;
b) The 3-car "smart" garage is the conduit to channel the air into Central Court, As apart of the Central
Cooler, the garage itself also functions as a smaller cool air supplier because it is shaded with
building floor above and it drafts cool air from basement through a floor verit;
c) The Central Court is the front-end distributor of the cool air, The Court is purposely placed in the
center of the building in order to conveniently send cool air to the surrounding interior spaces, It
also functions as a smaller cool air supplier because it is entirely shaded in the summer by the
Chinaberry and surrounding building mass,
He said responsive design to site-specific features/assets creates the Central Cooler that encompasses
Oak Court, the Central Court and the smart garage in between, This centralized feature pushes the
building envelope'toward south and east Asa result, the expansion of outer boundaries of the envelope
encroaches to the required yard areas, The staff report states that his attempt to preserve trees is an
inadequate,reason for requesting modifications, He believed that he failed to communicate clearly with
staff about their responsive approach to site specific features, Specifically, the Central CoUrt is
proposed for not only to provide natural light to the building and preserve the tree, but more importantly
as an integrate part of a larger system that support the objective of this Eco-home to rely more on solar
energy and less on grid po""er.
However, this accomplishment is not developed without observing the roning regulationS, It.is difficult
and a challenge to design a building that works around the existing features on the lot, not to mention the
green objectives that this particular building is trying to achieve, It is more difficultto design a building
that can work well with these features and zoning r!lquirements, The setback requirements were
seriously taken into consideration in the design process, and different space layouts and size reductions
were tried to meet the reqUirements, For eXanlple, the size of the Central Court is only 15' x 21', much
less than the spread/drip line of the Chinaberry's canopy which often reflects the coverage of roots
underneath, Further, reduction of the size of the courtyard may not be appropriate for the survival of the
tree,
In addition, they have added design enhancements to the building, including landscaping, to alleviate
concerns of the encroachment, They have made cOmpromises and the,submitted plan is indicative of
their efforts in trying to address potential concerns,
In response to comments by Chainnan Kalemkiarian, Mr. Huang responded that the reasons for the
proposed modifications:
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Front Yard
.
.
. If they complied with the required front yard setback, it would drastically limit depth of the library
on the ground floor, which would be,about the same depth of the adjacent bathroom. The corridor
west of the library, the staiIWay and the foyer are all in minimum dimensions, The space of
combined living/dinning room barely accommodates their existing furniture,
. The building will be4.5' away from the Chinaberry and have a 6' distance from the Maple, This is
very tight If the project meets the front yard ,requirements, they would be unable to save and take
advantage of both deciduous trees for summer cooling and winter heat gain, Without a full-grown
tree in the Central Courtyard, the performance of the passive solar system and the N-S cross
ventilation would be affected,
· With the proposed plan, the garages do not face the street,
. The plan allows a 3-car garage facing the side yard and participating in the passive solar system, If
the garage faces the street, its concrete paved back-up area will be exposed to the summer sun,
which will increase microclimate temperature and contribute to the negative heat-island effect in the
community, '
. To meet the front yard requirement and at least save the Maple, only a 2-car garage can be
accommodated, which will reduce the capacity and the role of the garage in the passive solar design,
and may create another garage facing the street.
· The low-pitch roof of this Mediterranean architectureJorms a smaller building mass than other styles
of architecture, .Its light reddish roof & and white 'walls absorb less heat, thus contributing less to
heat-island effect of the community, It also presents a "light" versus "heavy" image of the building
mass,
· Architectural erihancements are provided along the entire front elevation on both the first and ,second
floors to create shades and, shadows and to break up the building mass, These include porches,
balconies, indents, pop-outs and wrought iron railing, all of which create visual interests, These
architectural enhancements with structural footing to the ground are similar to and can be evaluated
as columns or walls defining an entrance porch that encroaches into the front yard,
. A semi"opened low garden wall ranging in height'from 2'- 4' are provided in front of the building,
instead of along the property line, to enclose a landscaped entry court. With its setback, low-volume
landscaping and water features, this additional layer of defined open space presents a focus in front
of the building, draws visual attention, and provides a smooth transition to the two-story building
behind,
. Several trees will be planted in strategical Jocations to soften the building mass,
. Neighbors to the north and across the.street have signed-off on the plan,
Porte Cochere
. Theporte-cochere is an open structure that can be seen through, This would not be a living space,
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.
They have proposed a 19~17'+1.S') visual opening to the Oak~urt from the street. If the
porte-cochere is removed, a standard 10' driveway Will be the opening, which is less appealing.
.
This is the gateway to the Oak Court, and provides a defined eastern boundary for the courtyard.
. From the street elevation, it serves as a transition to the two story main building, and is in balan:ce
with the one-story south wing.
· More importantly,.it serves as a solid edge of the Central Cooler to stabilize cool air in the Cooler.
. Neighbors to the north and across street have signed-offon the plan.
North Side Yard
. The main building on both floors meets or exceeds code requirements. Only thelO' wide
porte-cocheredoes not meetthe yard requirement.
. A block wall will be constructed on the property line along the-IO' portion to mitigate any privacy
issues,
. Neighbors to the north have signed-offtheplan_
South. Side Yard
There is an existing 6' high fence on the property line to.secure visual privacy on the. ground floor for
properties at both sides of the fence. The typical concern from neighbors might be the loss of their
privacy as a result of the second floor. The following design efforts are made to address the concern:
. The design minimizes the building mass toward the south property line.
. The south.end of east wing or the foyer is an open area, and contains no living floor area. A walk-in
closet and bathroom, for his daughter's bedroom, are located at the south end of the west whig. Her
room is situated here soit is further away from the property line.
. There will not be any windows at the south end of east Wing, There is a window at the south end .of
the west wing, but it is a high window; 6 'high from floor. This window is high enough to block eye-
level view but still allows manual operation to open/close the window by raising the hands.
He.has been working on this project for almost one year. He strongly believes that he has accomplished
the best plan for the site. that integrates the building well with the site-specific features, even though it
received a poor rating from zoning standards. He believes that the proposed design accomplishes the
goal to design a sensible and responsive green building for the site. He felt his proposal is an
appropriate improvement of the site and asked that his fellow commissioners allow him to carry outthis
plan, so upon completion they can proudly show the home to the kids in the community and anybody
else who is interested or involved in sustainable living.
In conclusion he stated that of all the projects that he has worked on in his professional career, this
project is the most important one because.it is the project that his family is going to live in. He probably
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will reside here for the restof.ife. This is a once-in-a-life-time proto Therefore, he has taken this
project like an author writing his last book. "We all want to leave something valuable before we are
gone, and this project is the one that I would like to seal with my'name". Something he can be proud of
for the rest of his life. Because of this attitude, he said the following about.the projeCt:
This is a unique project because itis responsive to its site-specific features; and
Upon completion, he will be open for people who share the same kind ofinterest in sustainability to
visit.and for educating the kids in this community what a green building can do for our environment.
Jane lIuang, 69 W. Naomi, echoed her father's remarks. Her entire family is interested in the
environment and believed that it would be a shame to cut down trees to make way for a new'home. She
could not imagine the thought of cutting a living organism that provides nourishment to many living
creatures. Even though it has been suggested that replacement trees be planted, it would take many
Years to replace these mature trees that are presently there. Their requests are relatively minor in
colllparisonto the benefits they would reap from what would be constructed. They would be able to
conserve energy, reduce waste and po11utants.in the environment.
.
.
No one else spoke in favor of or in opposition to this item.
Chairman Kalemkiarian closed the public hearing.
Commissioner Bruckner felt this development is torturing the lot. He was unconvinced that all the
requested modifications are necessary. He thought that a 1.5' northerly side yard setback is inadequate
and inappropriate. This is a large lot and he thought. that a better project could be proposed requiring
less modifications.
Commissioner Murphy commended Mr. Huang for his time and effort for designing this home. He also
wanted to see an Ecohonie in the City but he was concerned with the number of requested modifications
and their severity. He thought the home is too close to the front property line. He said that a project
should not .only be compatible and fit in with the neighborhood, it should also be environmentally
friendly to the property it is going to be on. He thought they should be concerned about the general
community and not justwhat is going to be between the property lines. The requests are very severe.
Chairman.Kalemkiarian said that'although.he likes the architecture and design of the home, he was not
sure if the Planning Commission could grant such severe modifications considering this is a large lot.
He was convinced that alternatives could be proposed that would lessen the number of modifications
and their extent.
It was the consensus of the Planning Commission that item #5 and the oak tree encroachment are
appropriate requests for approval.
MOTION
It was moved by Chairman Kalemkiarian, seconded by Commissioner Murphy to deny Requests
1, 2, 3, and 4 ofMP 99-006 and approve Request 5 and the Oak Tree Encroachment Permit.
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Murphy, Kalemkiarian
None
Commissioner Sleeter
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Chairman Kalemkiarian noteat there is a five working-day appeal ad. Appeals are to be filed by
May 4, 1999.
NON-PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS
7. RESOLUTION NO. 1589, granting CUP 99-006 and approving ADR 98-053 to construct a
15,250 sq. ft. Sav-On Drug Store with a drive-thru pharmacy and to sell alcoholic beverages
within 150' of residential property at 188 W. Las Tunas.
The staff report was presented.
MOTION
It was moved by Commissioner Murphy, seconded by Commissioner Bruckner to adopt
Resolution 1589 and formally affirm the decision of April 13, 1999.
ROLL CALL:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
Commissioner Bruckner, Huang, Murphy, Kalemkiarian
None
Commissioner Sleeter
Chairman Kalemkiarian.noted that,there is afive working-day appeal period. Appeals are to be filed by
May 4,1999.
MATTERS FROM CITY COUNCIL
Chairman Kalemkiarian welcomed Council Member Marshall.
Council Member Marshall remarked that she asked to be appointed as liaison to the Planning
Commission. She thanked the Planning Commission for their time and effort that they spent as the
Planning Commission. She remarked that the race track is moving ahead with their remodellngplans.
MATTERS FROM PLANNINGCOl'vfivlISSON
None
MODIFICATION COMMITTEE MEETING ACTIONS
Chairman Kalemkiarian recapped the actions taken by the Modification Committee.
MATTERS FROM STAFF
1. CITY COUNCIL ACTIONS
2. UPCOMING AGENDA ITEMS
Ms. Butler recapped the upcoming projects before the Planning Commission and recent actions taken by
the City Council. .
9:00p.m.
ADJOURNMENT
~S' ~~.
ecretary, ca I mg om mISSion
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