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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/05/2018Approved August 2, 2018 1 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 Minutes of a Regular Meeting Town of Los Altos Hills PLANNING COMMISSION Thursday, July 5, 2018, 7:00 P.M. Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, CA, 94022 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. ROLL CALL AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Present: Absent: Commissioner Basiji, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Patel, Chair Mandle None Staff: Planning Director Suzanne Avila, Consultant Planner Steve Padovan, Planning Technician Cody Einfalt 2. SWEARING IN CEREMONY City Clerk Deborah Padovan administered The Oath of Office to Commissioners Patel and Smith 3. REORGANIZATION OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION 3.1 Appointment of Chair MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Basiji moved to recommend Commissioner Mandle as Chair of the Planning Commission. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Couperus. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. AYES: Commissioner Basiji, Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Mandle, Commissioner Patel, Commissioner Smith NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None Approved August 2, 2018 2 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 3.2 Appointment of Vice Chair MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Couperus moved to recommend himself to Vice Chair of the Planning Commission. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Smith. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. AYES: Commissioner Basiji, Commissioner Couperus, Chair Mandle, Commissioner Patel, Commissioner Smith NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 4. PRESENTATIONS FROM THE FLOOR Chair Mandle opened presentations from the floor Seeing no one wishing to speak, Chair Mandle closed presentations from the floor. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS EX PARTE: Commissioner Smith had none to report. Commissioner Patel said he spoke with staff. Commissioner Basiji said he spoke with Walter Chapman. Commissioner Couperus said he spoke with Kay Nicholson and Kit Gordon. Chair Mandle spoke with Kit Gordon, Doug Titus (Santa Clara Valley Water District), and Tess Byler (San Francisquito Joint Powers Authority). 5.1 LANDS OF BAVOR; 13816 PAGE MILL ROAD; FILE #229-16-ZP-SD-GD; A Request to waive or defer a condition of approval for a Site Development Permit for a new residence, pool and cabana which requires utilities to be underground (project approved on September 27, 2016). CEQA review: Categorical Exemption per Section 15303(a) - construction of a new single-family residence (Staff-Suzanne Avila). Commissioner Couperus and Commissioner Basiji stated that they both lived within 500 feet of the project location, recused themselves, and stepped down from the dias. Chair Mandle opened the PUBLIC HEARING. Approved August 2, 2018 3 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 Director Avila presented the staff report. The Commission asked questions of staff and received responses. Nancy Bavor, applicant, spoke regarding the project. She stated that she has been working with PG&E throughout the process and wants to obtain power to her property. She spoke of the effort she has made to gain an easement to underground the utility lines and explained why the extension on the requirement to underground utilities is needed. Chair Mandle closed the PUBLIC HEARING. Commissioner Patel stated he sympathized with the applicant and that he just went through a similar situation with PG&E. Commissioner Smith said he supports undergrounding utilities, but approves of the extension on the condition. Chair Mandle stated she approves of the staff recommendation. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Patel moved to approve a one-year deferral of the requirement to underground utilities servicing the property at 13816 Page Mill Road. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Smith. MOTION CARRIED 3-0. AYES: Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Patel, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None RECUSE: Commissioner Basiji, Commissioner Couperus Director Avila spoke stated that there is a 22-day appeal period for the approval of Item 5.1. Commissioners Basiji and Couperus returned to the dais. 5.2 LANDS OF SAINT LUKE'S CHAPEL - EPISCOPAL LAYMENS GROUP OF LOS ALTOS (APPLICANT: CROWN CASTLE); 26410 Duval Way, File #66- 18-CUP; A request for a 10 year renewal of the Conditional Use Permit for an existing wireless communications facility at St. Luke's Chapel with no changes to equipment or structures; CEQA review: exempt pursuant to Section 15301(b) - No changes to an existing facility (Staff-Steve Padovan). Approved August 2, 2018 4 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 Chair Mandle opened the PUBLIC HEARING. Steve Padovan, Consultant Planner, presented the staff report. John Detrich, applicant, spoke of the proposed changes to the telecommunication site. He addressed the changes Crown Castle would like to see in the conditions of approval numbers 4 and 9 regarding specific wording and a limit on the amount of times the Town could request a Radio Frequency Site Compliance Report. Commissioner Smith asked a question of the scope of work for the item on the agenda. The applicant clarified that no changes are being made to the existing facility. Chair Mandle asked the applicant if he was happy with the staff recommendation for the rewording of condition number nine. The applicant was in agreement. Commissioner Basiji asked staff a question of how frequently the Town would need a report from Crown Castle. Mr. Padovan clarified that once a year is sufficient. Director Avila mentioned that the Town's new permit tracking system can be programmed to remind staff when to request the report. Frederick Mueller, Los Altos Hills, spoke about his concerns on the site. He stated that there are Radio Frequency Reports for each individual antenna on the site, but there is no report showing the combined frequency for all three antennas on the site. Mr. Detrich responded to Mr. Mueller regarding the aggregate level of radiation coming from the site. He explained that the antennas on the site are spread out in different locations and not all on the same antenna. Chair Mandle asked how much time is needed to conduct a Radio Frequency Report. Mr. Detrich stated that it takes about three weeks from request of the report. Commissioner Basiji stated that he would like to know who manages the facilities on the site. Mr. Detrich responded that Crown Castle maintains the T-Mobile site but he is unclear as to the ownership of all the antennas. Chair Mandle asked if the Town has reports from the other companies using the site. Approved August 2, 2018 5 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 Mr. Padovan confirmed that the Town has reports from the other carriers with antennas on site. Chair Mandle closed the PUBLIC HEARING. Commissioner Basiji said the Town needs a better understanding of what is going on at the site as a whole, however he is unsure how to proceed with the action. Chair Mandle stated that the applicant could prepare a report, but she does not expect the report to show that the site is over the limit for the allowable radio frequency level. Commissioner Couperus, spoke of future advancements in telecommunications (5G wireless) and that technology is always changing. He explained that in terms of radiation emitted there are locations in town where all the radiation is right on top of one each other, but for this item on the agenda, this is not the case. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Basiji moved to forward a recommendation to the City Council that the Conditional Use Permit for the Sprint Communications wireless communications site to be extended for an additional 10 (ten) years subject to the conditions of approval in attachment 1 with the added conditions that the language be changed in conditions number 4 and number 9 as recommended by staff and that a report radio frequency report will be requested by staff when required. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Patel. MOTION CARRIED: 5-0 AYES: Commissioner Basiji, Commissioner Couperus, Chair Mandle, Commissoner Patel, Commissioner Smith NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 5.3 LANDS OF NAVARRO; 26811 Moody Court: A Site Development Permit for a new 2,934 square foot, two-story single-family dwelling with Variance requests for a 15 foot front yard building setback, a 10 foot side yard building setback, a 12 foot front yard setback for the required uncovered parking, a 15 foot side yard setback for the rear yard deck, and encroachments into the 25 foot creek setback for the residence, deck and uncovered parking on a 1.06 acre lot; (Maximum height of structure is 27'); File #344-14-ZP-SD-VAR; CEQA review: Categorical Exemption per Section 15303(a) - construction of a new single-family residence in Approved August 2, 2018 6 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 a residential zone district (Staff-Steve Padovan). Chair Mandle opened the PUBLIC HEARING. Consultant Planner Steve Padovan presented the staff report. The Commission asked questions and received responses. Chair Mandle asked a question of staff regarding what would happen if the culverts on the property backed up. She stated she is curious as to where the water would go. Staff responded that the house is designed with a finish floor elevation that is above the 100-year flood elevation in case the culvert did back up. Commissioner Smith asked a question to staff regarding the requirements for leach fields. Mr. Padovan explained that this project was given an exception from the Department of Environmental Health (DEH) with the added condition that the habitable space of the new house will be limited. Walter Chapman, designer, gave a presentation regarding the project. He spoke of the involvement with the DEH and why an exemption to build a new house on the lot was allowed. He explained the proximity of the project to the neighboring proprieties and the low impact the development would have on the neighborhood. He explained why this project meets the requirements needed to grant a variance and spoke of the improvements that would be made with the removal of the cesspools and the remains of old buildings from the site. Commissioner Smith asked Mr. Chapman about the possibility of rotating the house to increase the front yard setback. Mr. Chapman responded and explained that by increasing the front yard setback, the rear yard setback would be impacted. Commissioner Patel asked about the location of PG&E utility poles on the site. He clarified that he is concerned about the location of fences on the property. Mr. Chapman clarified that no fences are proposed with the project. Alisa Bredo, Pathways Committee, stated that the Committee is requesting clarification on public access to connect Moody Court to Central Drive. Cris Schiebold, Los Altos Hills, stated that the Planning Commission has not been doing their job. He stated that the house does not fit in with the neighborhood and that it will be very visible from the street. He pointed out that Moody Court always floods and he is concerned with the setbacks from the centerline of the road. Susan Stultz, Los Altos Hills, stated that the applicants knew of the building restrictions present on the lot when they purchased the property. She stated she Approved August 2, 2018 7 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 believes the applicant can build a home on the property without asking for any variances. Carol Gottlieb, Environmental Protection and Design Committee, spoke about her concerns with outdoor lighting on the property. Mr. Chapman responded to the concerns brought up by the public. He stated that due to existing conditions the house was very restricted in its floor area and location. He spoke of the effort that was made to reduce the impact of the two- story building. Chair Mandle closed the PUBLIC HEARING. Commissioner Couperus said there are two issues regarding this property. First, the plans were confusing to read while he was visiting the site because the story poles and plans were showing different layouts. He spoke of the front setback and how it will become an issue if Moody Court is widened in the future. He stated that the intent of a setback is to create space between residents and that for this project there are no close neighbors. Commissioner Couperus presented a map that shows the flood plain in the area and explained that only a section of the house may be affected. Chair Mandle asked what the map is showing. Commissioner Couperus said it is a flood plain map of special hazards connected with FEMA that he obtained from the county. Commissioner Smith commented about that his concerns was with the septic field and that it must not affect the health of the creek. Commissioner Patel said he visited the property and stated that all the comments he has heard this evening are true. He agreed with Commissioner Couperus that setback requirements are intended for privacy concerns and this site has large setbacks on either side. He said that he liked the idea of pivoting the house to increase the front yard setback. He added that lighting will be of a concern for this house due to its close proximity to the road. Commissioner Basiji stated that the setbacks on the sides of the house do not bother him due to the vast open space all around. He stated that the main concern for him was the closest oak tree to the house. He said that an arborist report is necessary if the applicant wants to remove the tree. He said that he is in favor of the home. Commissioner Mandle stated that she had visited the site and she did her research and found a report on the creek. She said that the assessment she found calls it a wetland. She stated that she is unclear how far the wetland extends from either side of the creek. She stated that there are many existing man-made Approved August 2, 2018 8 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 features on the site that are going to be removed which is a good thing. She believes that with all the clean up effort, the condition of the site can get better. She explained that the next thing she looked at was the street facing side of the property and explained that she does not want the driveway or the turnaround to be in the open space easement. She stated that if all her concerns were addressed, she would be happy with the project. She added that she agrees with Commissioner Basiji and would like to get an assessment of the tree closest to the proposed house. Commissioner Couperus spoke of the history of the property and suggested sending a letter to the City Council to address his concerns. Commissioner Smith stated he is concerned about the amount of variances being requested and the precedent it would be setting Discussion ensued about the amount of variances that neighboring properties were granted. Commissioner Basiji stated that he would like the landscape screening plan to come back to the Planning Commission. MOTION MADE AND SECONDED: Commissioner Couperus moved to approve the requested Site Development Permit for a new residence, and variances for building, parking, and creek setbacks subject to the variance findings in Attachment 1 and conditions of approval in Attachment 2 with the added condition that the landscape screening plan come back to be reviewed by the Planning Commission and that prior to the issuance of building permits an arborist report for the tree must be obtained. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Basiji. MOTION CARRIED: 5-0 AYES: Commissioner Couperus, Commissioner Basiji, Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Patel, Chair Mandle NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None 6. OLD BUSINESS – None 7. NEW BUSINESS – None Approved August 2, 2018 9 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018 Chair Mandle stated that the Planning Commissioners and staff will be having quarterly meetings review procedural issues of planning commission meetings. 8. REPORTS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS 8.1 Planning Commission Representative for June 21 - Commissioner Basiji Commissioner Basiji provided a report of the June 21 City Council Meeting. 8.2 Planning Commission Representative for July 19 - Commissioner Couperus 8.3 Planning Commission Representative for August 16 - Commissioner Patel 8.4 Planning Commission Representative for September 20 - Commissioner Smith 8.5 Planning Commission Representative for October 18 - Chair Mandle 9. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – None 10. REPORTS FROM SITE DEVELOPMENT MEETINGS - None 11. REPORTS FROM FAST TRACK MEETINGS - JUNE 19 11.1 LANDS OF URBAN PACIFIC HOMES LA, LLC; 10570 BLANDOR WAY: File#56-18-ZP-SD; A request for a Site Development Permit for a new 5,234 square foot residence with basement and 1,552 square foot attached garage (maximum height 26'10") and a swimming pool and spa. A CEQA review: Categorical Exemption per Section 15303(a) and (e) (staff-Suzanne Avila). Director Avila spoke about the June 19 Fast Track Meeting. 12. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:50 P.M. Respectfully Submitted, Cody Einfalt Planning Technician The minutes of the July 5, 2018 Regular Planning Commission Meeting were approved as corrected at the August 2, 2018 Regular Planning Commission Meeting. Approved August 2, 2018 10 Regular Planning Commission Meeting July 5, 2018