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CC MINS 19900212 ADJ JNTM I N U T E S CITY COUNCIL AND PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP ADJOURNED MEETING FEBRUARY 12, 1990 The meeting was called to order at 7:35 P.M. by Mayor Melvin Hughes at Ridgecrest Intermediate School, 28915 Northbay Road, notice having been given with affidavit there to on file. Af ter the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, ro l l call was answered as follows: PRESENT: McTaggart, Hinchliffe, Ryan, Bacharach and Mayor Hughes. Also present were City Manager William Cornett, Deputy City Manager Mark Rohloff, Director of Environmental Services Robert Benard, Director of Public Works George Wentz, City Attorney Ariel Pierre Calonne, Planning Commissioners Peter Von Hagen, Robert Katherman, Charles Hotchkiss, and Susan Brooks, City Attorney Calonne reported in a closed session, the City Council took action to appoint William F. Cornett as Interim City Manager. A contract will be brought before the Council at'the February 20, 1990 meeting to finalize Mr. Cornett's appointment. Attorney Calonne announced that the current workshop was called for the purpose of allowing presentations by the applicants, Palos Verdes Land Holding Company and Zuckerman Building Company, to inform the Council and the Planning Commission on the status of the project and to solicit input from the audience on the recent specific planning activities which have occurred relative to Coastal Subregions 7 & 8, and to present the process and timetable anticipated by staff to complete these activities. He stressed that it was not appropriate to obtain detailed specific comments on the project. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion was made by Councilwoman Bacharach, seconded by Councilman Hinchliffe to approve the agenda as presented. Motion unanimously passed. Director Benard presented information on the City's incorporation and historic development activities. He stated that the General Plan and Coastal Specific Plan contain numerous goal statements which established the direction of the City to preserve the natural environment. Director Benard next discussed recent coastal land development activity and reviewed the current property ownership in Subregions 7 & 8, which includes the Zuckerman Building Company (140 acres), Palos Verdes Land Holdings Co. ( PVLHC) (107 acres), Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School district (8.5 acres), Ocean Terraces (5.5 acres) and Los Angeles County (56.5 acres). A Land Use Initiation Request made in 1987 by PVLHC and staff's recommendation to the City Council to approve the Initiation Request was also reviewed by Mr. Benard. He noted that when this Initiation Request was approved, the City Council was in no way to determine the appropriateness of the development until the process was started and the research was performed by staff. Director Benard added that, while the Specific Plan studies for Coastal Subregions 1, 7 & 8 were ongoing, staff believed that certain development controls should be put into place to preclude premature development within these coastal areas. The operative urgency ordinances, which placed restriction on the submittal of any development applications, were adopted and extended by the City Council in April and May 1988, extended again in April 1989, and will expire April 1990, Director Benard discussed the public's participation in the Specific Plan concepts, noting that as a result of public workshops and public forums, staff and traffic and trails committees review, numerous changes were incorporated into the specific Plan design. The most significant result of the public planning effort was the participation of the Zuckerman Building Company in the Specific Plan process. Regarding the Specific Plan and the environmental Impact Reviews, Director Benard reported that these documents were expected to be finalized within 45 days, after which time they will be released for public review and eventual public hearings. Written comments are encouraged during the circulation period, which is normally 45 days. Upon completion of the circulation period, a final EIR will be prepared with the assistance of an independent environmental consultant who will respond to all correspondence and public testimony on the draft EIR; staff will address comments on the Specific Plan. The EIR and the Specific Plan circulation are expected to proceed through May 1990. The Planning Commission hearing process will end with a recommendation to the City Council in either August or September 1990. Director Benard summarized his report by stating that the workshop will provide information which will benefit the public, staff, the Planning Commission and the City Council by presenting the Specific Plan concepts for Subregions 7 & 8 -2- FEBRUARY 12, 1990 prior to initiation of the formal public review and hearing session. In the discussion following the presentation, Councilwoman Bacharach asked for greater clarity on the process which will result in a December 1990 product and for specific reasons to continue the specific Plan process. Councilman Hinchliffe expressed concern about scheduling and about getting full cooperation in the process from the principal property owners. In response to Council question, Director Benard stated that it was staff's recommendation that the regions be reviewed in their.entirety and not in increments, in order to achieve an overall planning review of the development potential and the named properties in Subregions 7 & 80 City Attorney Calonne reported that action may be taken between the current time and April 20th in order to assure that operative urgency ordinances are completed before development applications are received. Attorney Calonne also noted that one of staff's obligations is to assure objectivity, and for that reason, extensive revisions of the Draft EIR will be done. Director Benard added that within the 45 day period all inconsistencies and inadequacies in the Specific Plan will be-resolved and changes made where appropriate. PRESENTATION BY PALOS VERDES LAND HOLDINGS COMPANY Peter Herman, spokesman for Palos Verdes Land Holdings Company, reviewed the history of subregions 7 & 8 and the land use concepts as proposed by PVLHC, which includes a 450 room hotel, an 18 -hole golf course, four restaurants, tennis courts, a commercial area and 128 single - family homes. It was Mr. Herman's opinion that his company's proposal would provide the greatest benefit to the residents because all the facilities would be open to the public. The company has requested that the property be excluded from the moratorium area. Mr. Herman noted that for the past two years, the company has worked with the Director of Environmental Services to comply with relevant City policies and with the goals of the community. Mr. Herman added that view preservation is a major consideration, and the company's plan offers new opportunities for enjoying coastal uses. Mr. Herman then reviewed in detail the impacts of PVLHC -3- FEBRUARY 12, 1990 plan on traffic and open space, and reviewed the proposals for trails networks, tennis courts, golf courses, and viewing overlooks. PRESENTATION BY ZUCKERMAN BUILDING COMPANY Ken Zuckerman of Zuckerman Building Company stated that his principal concern with the areas being discussed, which he first expressed in May 1989, is the issue of multiple owner- ship. He said that the Zuckerman family will not, is not selling their land to Palos Verdes Land Holding Company, and under the circumstances, PVLHC has no right to deliver their plan as it currently stands because the property lines associated with the ownerships are not respected. Mr. Zuckerman then discussed the process of reviewing the environmental concerns and overlay zones and the iterations for positioning the homes. He noted that it is the desire of the Zuckermans to develop the property strictly for residential use, with access to the coast, bluff top trails, ample open spaces, pedestrian bridges and opportunities to walk along the bluffs. The total number of trails and open space proposed in the Zuckerman plan is more than double that of the PVLHC plan. Mr. Zuckerman did not agree that any of this land should be used for commercial ventures. Regarding other impacts associated with the PVLHC plan, Mr. Zuckerman disapproved of the amount of earth that would need to be removed, and of the increased number of vehicles per day that would be required. He also proposed that lot coverage criteria be established for the residential plan, and he concluded that the Zuckermans will make every effort to make modifications to the plan as a result of input from the Council and the Planning Commission to bring the plan into present zoning conditions and to meet City guidelines and development criteria. In the ensuing discussion, Mr. Zuckerman was asked to what extent has geologic work been conducted to determine the stability of the site. He was also asked to provide further detail on his proposal for lot coverage criteria, and for more specific information on involvement of other property owners in the development process. A recess was taken from 8:50 P.M. until 8 :55 P.M. AUDIENCE QUESTIONS: Andrew Sargent, 1 Peppertree, presented a letter which stated his opposition to any proposal for rewriting the General Plan -4- FEBRUARY 12, 1990 and Coastal Specific Plan to benefit Mr. Hon, and urged that commercial development not be allowed in Subregions 7 & 8 by Mr. Hon or any other developer. Cathy Manning, 29438 Quailwood, inquired why Mr. Hon is not being required to meet the Orange County criteria with regard to creating open space. Jeanne Burke, 2821 Via Segovia, asked whether bicycle paths will be included in the Hon plan and asked about the width of the open spaces in the seaward golfways. Paul Weisz, 32365 Phantom Drive, representing Ladera Linda Homeowners Association, asked whether the impacts of increased traffic access on Palos Verdes Drive South has been explored by Palos Verdes Land Holding Company. Ken McNeill, 6527 Monero Drive, noted that the hotel and golf course proposals represent a good opportunity for development of the coastline. S.K. Khurana, 29219 Beachside Drive, requested information on the findings and interpretations of the geological studies. Paul Hendifar, 4325 Cartesian Circle, stated that the environment would benefit from a hotel and golf course. Kathy Snell, 8 Vanderlip Drive, was concerned about protection of the ravines, property rights, low income housing, and asked whether organic chemicals and fertilizers would be sued on the golf course. Frank Oreipp, 3585 Coolheights Drive, expressed concern about whether consideration has been given to increased water uses on the golf course, and to increased traffic problems which would be created by a commercial establishment. Chris Manning, 29438 Quailwood Drive, representing Peninsula Preservation, asked what provisions will be made by the Council to ensure that the EIR and other environmental documentation are audited for accurate information. Alfred Sattler, 2235 West 25th Street, San Pedro, representing the Palos Verdes South Bay Sierra Club, asked about provision for geological and biological assessments for the area. -5- FEBRUARY 12, 1990 Director Benard noted that geological and biological surveys will be conducted at the discretion of individual property owners and verified by the City and /or its consultant. L.O. Zelt, 4354 Exultant Drive, inquired about Mr. Zuckerman's involvement in the development of the ocean Terraces condominiums. De De Hicks, 6120 Scotmist, spoke in support of the hotel. Lois Knight Larue, 3136 Barkentine Road, representing Lois Larue & Associates, reviewed several of the comments that were made by both staff and developers. She noted that the hotel will represent a tourist resort, and urged that the issue be placed on the ballot. Richard Bara, 1 Peppertree Drive, was of the opinion that the Coastal Specific Plan and the General Plan should stand as they currently exist. He also asked if the two principal owners are the only individuals who are involved in the planning process. Barbara Dye, 7035 Hartcrest Drive, Chairman of the City's Trails Committee, clarified that the Committee has reviewed only proposals for trails submitted as part of the original PVLHC early plans. J.J.D. McLaren, 3923 Palos Verdes Drive South, asked whether the Council is rezoning the coastal zone for the resulting revenue. Peggy Zuckerman, 2 E1 Portal, clarified that Zuckerman Building Company was not involved in either the development nor construction of ocean Terrace Condominiums, and commented that the homes proposed by Zuckerman Building Company will be reasonably priced. Roger Mills, 3603 Vigilante Drive, requested that development not be conducted in a piecemeal manner. Renata Rafferty, 30633 Rue Langlois, commented on the price range for the homes proposed by the Zuckermans, and stated that residents in homes in the million dollar price range may not allow access to the coastal bluff areas. -6- FEBRUARY 12, 1990 Mr. Herman concluded that PVLHC will respect and support the CC &Rs and any other regulations the Council wished to place on the property. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting was duly adjourned at 10:05 P.M. ATTEST; minutel /021290 7- FEBRUARY 12, 1990