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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNOVEMBER 22, 1960 . .1 ROLL CALL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL STATEMENT /---,\ ~ -- MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF ARCADIA REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 22, 1960 The Planning Commission of the City of Arcadia met in regular session in the Council Chamber of the City Hall, at 8:00 o'clock P.M., November 22, 1960, with Chairman Acker preSiding. PRESENT: Commissioners Acker, Ferguson, Forman, Golisch, Norton and Rutherford ABSENT: Commissioner Michler OTHERS PRESENT: City Councilman Edward L. Butterworth City Attorney James A.Nicklin Director of Public Works C. E. Lortz Planning Secretary L. M. Talley Motion was made by Commissioner Golisch, seconded by Commissioner Forman and carried unan1rDously to amend paragraph 2 of "Matters from the City Council", psge 13 of the minutes of November 9, 1960, to read as follows: "There was considerable discussion at the City Council level about the proposed three story apartment house near Baldwin Avenue and Huntington Drive. It was interesting that this only required City Council action rather than Planning Commission action, because the property concerned is zoned C-O. It therefore appeared to be possible to build apartment units in excess of two stories; as the developers desired to build apartments of three stories, it appeared to be desirable to pass an emergency measure to l.imit the building to two stories, while there was a question as to whether three story apartments should be allowed within the provisions of the present zoning ordinance relating to Zone C-Ollfl City Councilman Edward L. Butterworth addressed the Planning Commission, stating that he had been directed by the City Council to make a state- ment regarding a major change in the Planning Department in the City of Arcadia. At a personnel .meeting of the City Council the resignation of Merle Gardner, Planning Technician, who was accepting a position as Planning Director of Colton, and the future retirement of Leslie M. Talley as Planning Secretary were reviewed by the City Council in relationship to the election results on the Master Plan, and in connection with those portions of the city which will be very substantially affected by the Foothill Freeway. The City Council felt unanimously that Arcadia being the city that it is today certainly did .not arrive out of happenstance, but rather out of the planning that the devotion of the Planning Commission and its predecessors and the predecessors of the City Council accomplished. . Page One November 22, 1960 , 1 (--' .,,- City Council is also aware that' planning is an extremely sensitive area in a community"like Arcadia, and that those who do plan are very often subjected to personal criticism; however, it was the feeling of the City Council that planning cannot stand still; and that we have problem areas; that we will continue to have them, and for that reason it was the position of the council that this city should take an ag- gressive approach to planning at a staff level. By planning, we mean, advance planning, something that we may not have had in that sense in the community before. We believe that it can be done within the re- sources of the city, and Mr. Butterworth was instructed to advise the Planning Commission at. this time that on December 6, 1960, the next regular meeting of the City Council, it is the intent of the council to take the following action: 1. Request thePers.onnel Board to initiate action to abolish the position of Planning Technician and create in lieu thereof the position of City Planner. The position of City Planner would be filled by a person with a degree in planning or related fields, plus a mini- mum of four years of experience in municipal planning. The day by day supervision of the City Planner would be under the direction of the Planning Secretary, and the City Manager would participate to a greater personal degree in the planning program of the city; he stated that he believed some of the commissioners, if not all, were aware of the fact that our City Manager is a pro- fessional planner within his own .right, and highly accom- plished in that field. The City Planner will devote all of his time to the actual Job of physical planning, taking an active part in discus- sions with this body and with the City Council in ourrent and future planning prob~ems. Together with the Planning Secretary he will make verbal and written recommendations to the Planning Commission and the City Council with re- spect to the planning of the community; something which is not being done at this time. The planner would prepare the following with the assistance of the Planning Secretary and draftsmen presently employed: a. Base maps of the city. b. Prepare and maintain an existing land use map of the city. c. Submit suggested plans for the redevelopment of the area affected by the Foothill Freeway. d. Submit suggested plans for the redevelopment of other problem areas of the city. e. Submit suggested plans for utilization of present city-owned lands for park and recreation ~se, including beautification plans for certain areas of the city. f. Carry out any other miscellaneous duties normally connected with the responsibilities of a planner. Page Two November 22, 1960 /~ 2. Such a planner should desire, and the City Council also desires, that certain phases of this work be rev.iewed and commented on by an expert in the field. To accom- plish this the following shall be carried: a. The staff and Planning Commission are requested to' prepare guide lines and make a recommenda- tion to the City Council for the employment of a Planning Consultant to review and comment on the work of the Planner on an hourly basis. b. The number of hours of work by the consultant will be controlled by the City Manager. I c. Payment to the consultant shall be made from the funds provided by the council in the 1960-61 budget. 3. Upon the retirement of .Mr. Talley, the position of Planning Secretary shall be abolished and the title of City Planner changed to Planning Director. 4. Upon the employment of the City Planner; or earlier if in the opinion of the City Manager it is feasible, the enforce- ment of the Zoning Ordinance shall be the responsibility of the Building and Safety Division. Councilman Butterworth added that a major part of the time of the Planning Secretary and Planning Technician is devoted to checking plans with respect to side, front and rear setbacks, square footage of buildings, and general enforcement of the Zoning Ordinance. This will hereafter be divorced from the Plan- ning Department. Councilman Butterworth concluded that no immediate miracles are to be expected, but there is every reason to believe that this program will assure the citizens continued long range planning goals. The Chairman stated that the Planning Commission would extend its full cooperation to the City Council and the staff to carry out the best planning for the City of Arcadia. ZOO ING Duarte Rd. The Planning Commission considered an informal petition requesting Zone R-3-& on the north side of Duarte Road from Holly Avenue to La Cadena Avenue and Zone R-3 on the south side of Duarte Road from the Methodist Church to Lovell Avenue. The Planning Secretary explained that this matter was held over pending the outcome of the election in regards to the Master Plan. The owners are quite anxious that some action be taken. The Planning Secretary then displayed a map showing the present zoning and what is requested. He discussed the zoning surrounding the area, namely the R-3 zone on Fairview to the north, the commercial along Baldwin Avenue at Duarte Road to some distance east of Baldwin Avenue. The greater portion of the properties on both sides of Duarte Road are zoned R-l, with the exception of the churches, the mortuary, etc. Commisstoner Forman stated that this area has been under consideration for a number of years now; with the abandonment of the opening of Arcadia Avenue, and the apparent reluctance of the property owners on Page Three November 22, 1960 '---, the south side of Duarte Road to consider the bringing of a street through to the rear of their properties; he felt that since some study has been made on this area (and it is quite a large area surrounded by both commercial and R-3) that the commission should give this request serious consideration by instituting proceedings to come up with a plan for the area. Commissioner Golisch asked Commissioner Forman to please explain his reference to "relief" during his discussion. Commissioner Forman explained that he referred to the heavily traveled road involved; the pushing of R-3 from the north and the older homes which exist on the street, some of which are still very good, but which in the future, with the heavy traffic, would be less desirable as single family res idences. . The Planning Secretary explained that in this case no fee has been paid; this is an informal petition; some two or three years ago when the origi- nal petition was submitted there was a considerable fee paid, and no definite action has been realized. Commissioner Norton stated that he would be in favor of studying this area to evaluate the necessity of this request. The City Attorney advised the commission that the normal method of initiat- ing proceedings is by the petition of an interested person or persons; however, the Planning Commission has the authority to initiate proceedings upon its own motion, and shall do so upon the direction of the City Council. The City Council has for some time been interested in the settlement of the problems in this particular area, and other problem areas in the city. There was filed some time ago a petition to reclassify that entire area; as I recall, the petition did not cover the entire area that the commis- sion itself undertook to study. There were certain tentative decisions made by the Planning Commission which went to the City Council. But be- cause of related problems in the whole area the matter has been left in a state of hiatus. One or two reclassifications have occurred, but that is all. It would certainly seem to be a proper exercise of the Plan- ning Commission's judgement to initiate proceedings of this kind in view of the fact that interested parties have paid to initiate proceedings including a major portion of this, and due largely through no fault of the property owners or the.ir interest in the matter, the problems have not been settled. Furthermore, it is the duty of the Planning Commission to initiate proceedings on their own, and particularly to expand the area of consideration beyond the area that particular property owners might petition to have them consider. So that the commission can plan an area and not make decisions as to particular lots, he believed that this area certainly warranted the consideration requested. The City Attorney continued that the commission cannot properly make a recommendation in excess of the scope of the study as indicated in its initiating resolution, and the notices that are sent out thereunder. Sometimes, it is advisable to make some sort ofa preliminary determin- ation particularly as to the extent of the area that you want to study; and sometimes also as to the maximum relief or downgrading zoningwise of the various classifications you might want to consider. Motion by Commissioner Norton, seconded by Commissioner Forman and unan- imously carried to instruct the City Attorney to draw up a resolution instituting proceedings to hold a public hearing on the rezoning of the properties on the north side of Duarte Road from Holly Avenue to the com- Page Four November 22, 1960 TENTATIVE TRACT 26295 LOT SPLITS (.- I ,---. mercial area east of Baldwin Avenue and on the south side of Duarte from. the Methodist Church to the commercial area west of Lovell Avenue. The date was set by the commission for January 10, 1961. The Planning Commission considered the tentative map of Tract 26295 lo- cated between Foothill Boulevard and the AT & SF railroad west of San Carlos Road, containing 34 lots. The Planning Secretary read a communication from Treadwell Engineering Company, which granted permission to the City of Arcadia to extend the time in which to make a decision on Tract No. 26295 until January 3, 1961. Commissioner Forman stated that in going over this tentative proposal with the Subdivision Committee there were several itema of consideration. There appears to be an extensive cul de sac which is way beyond the ma~ imum normally permitted, with no outlet.to the east, although it is pos- sible that an outlet can be realized. There is a drainage problem, which is primarily up to the subdividers, although the commission and staff should be certain that the drainage into the Santa Fe right of way is properly investigated. The present plan for the future freeway, which has been in existence in the city for a number of years, indicates the opening of Baldwin Avenue. Its location would eliminate the west tier of lots of this tract. He believed that by carrying over through to December 27, 1960 this will give the commission and staff ample time to study the problems involved. Motion by Commissioner Norton, seconded by Commissioner Golisch and unanimously carried to continue the study of this tentative Tract No. 26295 to December 27, 1960. No. 316 - Orlando Clarizio, 1601-161:1 S. Ba'ldwin Avenue, which would create 3 lots facing an extension of Call ita Street. .The Planning Secretary read the engineer's report. Commissioner Golisch stated that except for the desirability of enlarg- ing the cul de sac giving a larger frontage to the lots, it would be a good separation of property. After considerable discussion motion was made by Commissioner Golisch seconded by Commissioner Forman and unanimously carried to recommend lot split No. 316 for approval, subject to the foliowing conditions: 1. File a final map with the City Engineer. 2. Install sewer main and laterals for all three parcels. 3. Dedicate 20 feet for the widening of Baldwin Avenue. Dedi- cate for the widening and cuI de sac on Call ita Street; the alignment to be subject to the approval of the City Engineer. 4. Improve Call ita Street extension as required by the sub- division code, including curb and gutter, paving, sewer main and laterals, water main and laterals, street trees and street name signs. 5. Provide rear or side line utility easements as required. 6. Pay $75.00 recreation fee. Page Five November 22, 1960 MODIFICATION APPEAL FOOTHILL FREEWAY PLAN ~ No. 317 - Joe J. Natale, 1416 S. First Avenue The Planning Secretary read the engineer's report which stated that the horse barn and horses should be removed from parcel 2. Although parcel 1 is slightly over 24,000 square feet it is questionable as to whether the horses could be placed on parcel No. 1 and still meet all of the minimum code requirements as they pertain to horses. Parcel 1 contains a dwelling that will be 18 feet from the rear pro. perty line as submitted. If the proposed rear line were moved ea~ 12 feet the dwelling would clear the new line by 30 feet. The line would aiso conform with the general alignment of Tract No. 21618 along the west side of Greenfield .Avenue. Motion by Commissioner Forman, seconded by Commissioner Golisch and carried unanimously to recommend the approval of lot split No. 317, subject to the' following conditions: 1. File a final map with the City Engineer. 2. Remove the horses and the barn from parcel 2. 3. Remove the 6 foot chain link fence from parcel 2, or reduce the height to code requirements. 4. Provide any necessary rear line utility easements. 5. Make the new lot 120 feet deep. 6.. Pay $25.00 recreation fee. The Planning Commission continued consideration of a Modification Committee decision as appealed by W. D. Jones, 202 E. Camino Real. The Director of Public Works advised the commission that he visited Mr. Jones on the site, and it was his opinion that there is no way possible that they can convert the proposed carport into a structure which will not violate our municipal code. He continued that he recommended to Mr. Jones he do some remodeling to his existing garage so the present day automobile would fit. It is possible with- out too much work to extend the garage and perhaps even build a workroom; there is plenty of rear yard,and it would be his recom- mendation if it met with the commission's approval to continue this request for a period of about 30 days giving the applicant an oppor- tunity to study the matter. Motion by Commissioner Forman, seconded by Commissioner Norton and carried unanimously to continue the modification appeal of Mr. W. D. Jones of 202 E. Camino Real until the regular meeting of January 10, 1961. The Planning Commission held a discussion on the proposed Foothill Freeway Plan. requested The Director of Public Works displayed a map he had! of District 7 of the State Division of Highways. He explained that the proposed right of way is located immediately north of the Santa Fe, north of Colorado, along the rear of properties fronting on Foothill Boule- vard. He continued, wishing to emphasize two items of particular importance, namely the interchange at Baldwin Avenue and the treatment thus far Page Six November 22, 1960 . .. . - given the proposed interchange at Santa Anita Avenue. He pointed out the on and off ramps. Baldwin Avenue is on the Master Plan of major city highways adopted by the County of Los Angeles. and by the City of Arcadia on two different occasions. One of the questions arising before us in the treatment of this inter- change is to provide sufficient capacities for vehicular traffic over the next 20 or 30 years. It was his recommendation that this particu- lar matter be referred to a. committee appointed by the Chairman, or possibly the commission as a. whole to carefully scrutinize, not only from the available maps and literature, but also from the field. The Director of Public Works continued that as the terrain now exists the possibility of installing Baldwin Avenue as an undercrossing or an overcorssing is economically feasible; however, he believed that after viewing the site in the field, from the aesthetics and for the good of the entire city, that an undercorssing will be by far the superior structure. He discussed in detail the points of conflict which might arise from the plan as submitted by the Division of High- wayS. He cited as an example Valley Boulevard through the City of Alhambra in connection with the San Bernardino Freeway. At one time when the plans were first brought into the City of Alhambra, it was thought that Valley Boulevard would be used, but never as it is being used today. Now, Valley Boulevard is a major route, and carries more traffic than it carried before. The Director of Public Works pointed out that this proposed route is tentative, subject to change. He then displayed the area involving the proposed interchange at Santa Anita Avenue. It is proposed to be a grade separation with the freeway going overhead, continuing overhead until it reaches Huntington Drive in the City of Monrovia. He directed the commission's attention to the treatment submitted by the Division of Highways, which is a modification of the design originally proposed; they have shown what is called a partial cloverleaf in that traffic northbound on Santa Anita may go westbound on the freeway with- out necessitating a lefthand turn, which is very desirable. The ques- tion which arises before us, is whether or not it will be necessary, economically and practically to provide more cloverleaf treatment to this interchange in the .interest of, creating a greater capacity for vehicular traffic, and to eliminate lefthand turn vehicular conflict. The Director of Public Works then answered queries from the commission- ers, regarding right of way acquisition; he stated that the problem is becoming acute, and as time passes will continue to grow more acute to the point where the state would be wise certainly to adopt a pol- icy attempting to earmark funds for right of way purchase. The speed with which this may be realized depends largely on income, and of course it must be remembered this is a federal secondary route; a great portion of the cost of this development will come from federal sources rather than from gas tax. Discussion continued. The Chairman declared that the Subdivision Co~ mittee and the Zoning Committee, representing the Planning Commission as 9 whole should make the study of the freeway in the field as well as reviewing the plans. Commissioner Norton added as a suggestion, that in accordance with the advice of the Director of Public Works it would be wise to study cloverleafs of interchanges located nearby as part of the field study. Page Seven November 22, 1960 .. . ,." APPLICATION ZONE CHANGE Sycamore Ave. APPROVAL OF PLANS--623 W. Duarte ADJOURN .~ \~-) ~. The Planning Secretary advised the Planning Commission of an applica- tion which had been placed on file for a zone change on Sycamore Ave- nue east of Second Avenue. He compared this application with the in- formal application for a zone change now pending on Duarte Road, in that it is not a unanimous request. The Planning Secretary displayed a map showing the properties repre- senting signers of the petition, Regardless of the outcome of the application the Planning Secretary wished to know if the Planning Com- mission would desire to include the other territory not included in the application. The City Attorney stated that when a petition is filed by individually interested owners, the Planning Commission is required to proceed with it. If in the commission's opinion, there should be other properties considered at the same time, the Planning Commission should augment the application by instituting proceedings to include certain other proper- ties. Motion by Commissioner Forman, seconded by Commissioner Ferguson and carried unanimously to instruct the City Attorney to draw a resolution instituting proceedings to hold a public hearing on the rezoning or pro- perty outlined on Sycamore Avenue. The Planning Secretary displayed a set of plans proposed for the medi- cal building at 623 W. Duarte Road. One of the oonditions of the D overlay in the zone change was the approval of plans by the Planning Commission before issuance of a building permit. The building is a two story, concrete and brick construction, and a driveway to serve the parking area was shown as 9' 4" wide. There was some question as to whether the Planning Commission had the authority to question the width of the drive since the zoning ordinance does not require more for CoO zone. The Director of Public Works suggested to the City Attorney that the condition requiring Planning Commission approval of all plans should give them authority to require ~ wider drive to provide access for fire trucks. The City Attorney after checking the applicable resolution stated that "all plans shall be submitted to .the Planning Commission for approval as to plot plan, architectural treatment:, wall, landscaping and signs before the issuance of a building permit." He advised that the word plot plan should certainly apply in this case. The Director of Public Works advised that the Planning Commission might well refer these plans back to staff to secure the comments from the fire chief . The Chairman declared the plans would be referred back to staff as suggested by the Director of Public Works. There being no further business presented to the Planning Commission the meeting adjourned at 9:50 P.M. ~~. L. M. TALLEY Planning Secretary Page Eight November 22, 1960