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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/02/2014Approved November 6, 2014 1 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 Minutes of a Regular Meeting Town of Los Altos Hills PLANNING COMMISSION Thursday, October 02, 2014, 7:00 P.M. Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Present: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle Staff: Cynthia Richardson, Consultant Planner; Steve Padovan, Consultant Planner; Jaime McAvoy, Planning Secretary Chair Mandle noted a re-order to the agenda. The Commission now considered Item 3.2 3.2 LANDS OF VAHDAT; 26520 Purissima Road; File #156-14-ZP-SD; A request for a Site Development Permit of a landscape screening plan for a new two-story residence with a basement, a detached secondary dwelling unit, and a swimming pool approved at the April 4, 2013 Planning Commission meeting. CEQA review: Categorical Exemption per Section 15304 (b) (Staff-Nicole Horvitz). The Commission expressed concern that new information provided for Item 3.2, Lands of Vahdat, had been submitted too close to the meeting time to be adequately discussed. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Abraham moved to postpone Item 3.2 Lands of Vahdat until the next regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Tankha. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Approved November 6, 2014 2 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 2. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR There were no presentations from the floor. 3. PUBLIC HEARINGS 3.1 LANDS OF CONGREGATION BETH AM; 26790 Arastradero Road, FILE# 105-14-CUP-LM-ND-MISC; The proposed project includes the merger of 27121 Fremont Road with the Congregation Beth Am campus located at 26790 Arastradero Road, amendment to the Town of Los Altos Hills General Plan Land Use Diagram and amendment to the Congregation Beth Am Conditional Use Permit. CEQA Review: Negative Declaration (Staff-Cynthia Richardson). Ex Parte Disclosures: Commissioners Tankha and Partridge had nothing to disclose. Commissioner Couperus stated that he had spoken with Mr. Cranston. Commissioner Abraham stated that he had spoken with Mr. Cranston and Mrs. Simon. Chair Mandle stated that she had nothing to disclose. Consultant Planner Cynthia Richardson presented the staff report. Commission asked questions of staff. Chair Mandle opened the PUBLIC HEARING. Ben Lloyd, President of Congregation Beth Am, spoke on behalf of their proposal. Harry Price, member of Congregation Beth Am, spoke on behalf of their proposal. George Sun, Los Altos Hills, expressed concern about possible noise pollution and the depreciation of his property value. Michael Xie, Los Altos Hills, requested the Commission postpone the merger until a plan had been proposed for the added lot. Scott Overstreet, Los Altos Hills, said that neighbors in the immediate area should be asked for approval of zoning changes in their neighborhood. Rachel Tasch, Executive Director, Congregation Beth Am, gave a closing statement. Chair Mandle closed the PUBLIC HEARING. Approved November 6, 2014 3 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 Commissioner Partridge expressed concern with the added traffic that an access road on the panhandle could cause. He also expressed concerns with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Review, as there was no plan to base the review on. Commissioner Couperus stated that merging this lot would change the land use and would affect the neighbors' ability to sell their houses as they would not be able to disclose the future plans for the lot. Commissioner Tankha said that she valued the Congregation's contribution to the community, but that she originally had concerns about added noise. She said that she was happy to hear that any changes would require neighbor input and a hearing, as she agreed with Commissioner Couperus' concerns about neighborhood impact. Commissioner Abraham also expressed concerns with the CEQA Review it was based on assumptions, and agreed that it could affect the neighbors' property values. Chair Mandle said she had never heard someone say that the Congregation was a bad neighbor. She stated that the change in land use was a big issue for her, and that she had to respect that the neighbors moved into what they thought was a residential neighborhood. She suggested postponing the merger until the Congregation could disclose what they wished to do with the lot. MOTION MADE: Commissioner Abraham moved, based on the strong objections from all adjoining property owners, and other property owners in the area, and that the proposed zoning change will without doubt decrease adjacent property values, that the Planning Commission recommend that the City Council does not adopt the initial study negative declaration in Attachment 1, and does not adopt the proposed amendments to the Town of Los Altos Hills General Plan Land Use Diagram as shown in Attachment 2, and does not approve the requested lot merger to combine 26790 Arastradero Road and 27121 Fremont Road, and does not adopt a resolution amending the Conditional Use Permit to include the property located 27121 Fremont Road, nor the findings in Attachment 3. The motion lacked a second and was lost. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Couperus moved to recommend that the City Council not accept the proposed lot line adjustment between the Lands of Congregation Beth Am and parcel 175-32-061, pending the submittal of more specific plans. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Abraham. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle Approved November 6, 2014 4 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3.3 PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION TIME LIMIT ORDINANCE File #19-14-MISC (Staff: S. Padovan) Consultant Planner Steve Padovan presented the staff report. Commission asked questions of staff. Chair Mandle opened the PUBLIC HEARING. Scott Overstreet, Los Altos Hills, suggested incentivizing builders to speed up the completion of the outside of a residence. Dru Anderson, Los Altos Hills, requested the Commission clarify “remodel” versus “new construction”, as well as “livable” versus “looks nice” from the outside. Chair Mandle closed the PUBLIC HEARING. Commissioner Partridge said that this ordinance would be beneficial, as he is familiar with long standing projects that have negative effects on their neighbors. Commissioner Tankha said it was reasonable to have time limits for construction, but requested that the term "interior work" be clarified. Chair Mandle said that the ordinance before the Commission was a great place to start, as a proposal like this had not been done in Town to date. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Tankha moved to forward a recommendation to City Council to approve the construction time limit ordinance as shown in Attachment 2 , with the amendment to revise the second sentence under 10-1.01 to "shall not apply to permits involving only interior work in an existing structure", and to amend Table 10-1.08, removing the words "up to a maximum of 12,000 dollars", and "up to a maximum of the 36, 000 dollars". The motion was seconded by Commissioner Abraham. Approved November 6, 2014 5 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3.4 ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 8 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE (Building Regulations); To adopt the 2013 California Building Standards Code, including but not limited to Building, Residential, Electrical, Mechanical, Plumbing, Energy, Fire, and California Green Building Standards Codes with local amendments. File #380-13-MISC, CEQA Review: Categorical Exemption per Section 15061(b) (3) (Staff- S. Padovan). Chair Mandle called for a recess at 9:00 P.M. The meeting reconvened at 9:05 P.M. Consultant Planner Steve Padovan re-introduced the item to the Commission. Chair Mandle opened the PUBLIC HEARING. Seeing no one wishing to speak Chair Mandle closed the PUBLIC HEARING. Commission discussion ensued. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Partridge moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to accept the modification to Item B1 as originally amended by the Fire Department. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Couperus. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Approved November 6, 2014 6 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 MOTION CARRIED. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Abraham moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt Items C1 and C2 per the recommendations of the Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Partridge. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Partridge moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council adopt Item E7 with the original modified language. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Tankha. AYES: Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: Commissioner Abraham ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 4-1. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Partridge moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt the original modifications considered for Item G1. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Couperus. AYES: Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: Commissioner Abraham ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Approved November 6, 2014 7 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 MOTION CARRIED 4-1. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Partridge moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt Item G2 with the original modifications. The motion was seconded by Chair Mandle. AYES: Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: Commissioner Abraham ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 4-1. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Mover moved Commissioner Partridge moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt Items G3 and G4 with the Subcommittee recommendations. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Couperus. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Couperus moved to direct staff to add to section 4-2.116 of the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code, sections that were included in the Fire Department amendments that are not currently in the Municipal Code. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Partridge. AYES: Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: Commissioner Abraham ABSENT: None Approved November 6, 2014 8 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 4-1. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Couperus moved to forward a recommendation that the City Council not adopt Items H1 and H2, per the recommendations of the Subcommittee, as they are irrelevant to the Los Altos Hills environment. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Partridge. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Tankha moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to follow the recommendations of the Subcommittee and not adopt Items I1 and I2, as the Los Altos Hills Municipal Code already bans the sale and storage of these items. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Abraham. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Abraham moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council to adopt Items J1, J2, and J3 per the Subcommittee's recommendations, and to accept Item J4 with the added amendment that the 2,000 gallon limit shall not be exceeded at any location in Town. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Couperus. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Approved November 6, 2014 9 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 4. OLD BUSINESS 4.1 Housing Element Update (Staff - S. Padovan). Consultant Planner Steve Padovan presented the Commission with a sample letter/survey that the Town would send out to obtain feedback from residents on the State required Housing Element Update. The Commission discussed what the State was requesting, and what options the Town would pursue to become certified. 5. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. 6. REPORTS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS 6.1 Planning Commission Representative for October 16 - Commissioner Tankha 6.2 Planning Commission Representative for November 10 - Chair Mandle 6.3 Planning Commission Representative for December 11 - Commissioner Abraham 6.4 Planning Commission Representative for January 15 - Commissioner Couperus 7. MINUTES 7.1 Approval of September 4, 2014 Minutes MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Abraham moved to approve the September 4, 2014 minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Tankha. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Approved November 6, 2014 10 Regular Planning Commission Meeting Minutes October 2, 2014 Commissioner Partridge, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None MOTION CARRIED. 7.2 Approval of September 18, 2014 Minutes MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Abraham moved to approve the September 18, 2014 minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Tankha. AYES: Commissioner Abraham, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Tankha, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: Commissioner Partridge MOTION CARRIED 4-1. 8. REPORTS FROM FAST TRACK MEETINGS 9. REPORTS FROM SITE DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS 10. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 10:45 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Jaime L. McAvoy Jaime L. McAvoy Planning Secretary The minutes for the October 2, 2014 Regular Planning Commission Meeting were approved on November 6, 2014.