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PC MINS 19890912MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 12, 1989 The meeting was called to order at 7:31pm by Chairperson Wike at Hesse Community Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard. PRESENT: Hotchkiss, Von Hagen, Wike, McNulty, Brooks ABSENT: None Also present were Planning Administrator Curtis Williams, Associate Planner Carolynn Petru, Assistant Planner Bonnie Olson, and Associate Planner Joel Rojas. COMMUNICATIONS There were no communications. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Minutes of 8/8/89 B. P.C.Resolution No. 89 Conditional Use Permit No. 23 - Rev. "GG" and Extreme Slope No. 14, 3239 PVDS -- Chairperson Wike requested that the Resolution incorporate a specific condition requiring an irrigation, fencing and wall plan to adhere to the Seacliff Halls guidelines. C. P.C. Resolution No. 89, Conditional Use Permit No. 132, 6245 Via Canada. D. Conditional Use Permit No. 23"JJ," Grading No. 1216, 3507 Palo Vista -- Chairperson Wake suggested asking the Building Department to make sure the applicant adheres to the approved plan regarding the retaining wall height. Commissioner Hotchkiss moved to approve the entire consent calendar as amended above. Commissioner McNulty seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. VARIANCE NO. 241 Assistant Planner Bonnie Olson 29010 Bayend presented the staff report. Staff's recommendation is to approve the applicant's request for approval of an existing 7' encroachment into the streetside setback. Mr. Williams noted the deletion of Item #2 in the Resolution regarding the fee waiver. He said that the City Council PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING September 12, 1989 will determine if the fee waiver is justified or not. Chairperson Wike declared the public hearing open. Craig Maples, 13314 S. Hindry, Hawthorne, contractor and partial owner of the property, explained how the staff and contractor misread the sewer map which caused the original plan error. He also requested that Section 5 of the Resolution be amended to allow an 18" trim on the addition in order to match the rest of the house. The public hearing was closed. Chairperson Wike suggested that due to the encroachment into the setback, the Resolution incorporate a landscaping plan. Commissioner Von Hagen moved to adopt the staff recommendation with Section 5 amended to allow for the 18" trim, and to incorporate a landscaping and fencing plan requirement. Chairperson Wike seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. B. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT Assistant Planner Bonnie Olson NO. 33 --REV "L", GRADING presented the staff report. NO. 1291, EXTREME SLOPE Staff's recommendation is to NO. 15 approve, with conditions, the 1 Burrell Lane applicant's request for changes in grading and in the originally approved footprint on this new single family residence and denial of Extreme Slope #15 to allow two 6' decks to cantilever over an extreme slope. Chairperson Wike opened the public hearing. Richard Greer, 24254 Hawthorne Blvd., Torrance, architect, spoke on behalf of the applicant and stated that the new deck is only 1/3 the size of the originally planned one. Jim Gleason, 3 Burrell Lane, noted that the City was involved in the development's CC&R's. He also asked for clarification on the approved ridge height of the new house. Ms. Olson noted that the Staff Report, Page 2, Paragraph 3 should read "5 inches," not "5 feet," and that the actual ridge height is 1185.5', only 5 inches above the originally approved ridge line. Al Duska, 2 Burrell Lane, objects to the 20' wall of the garage structure only 7' from his property line, and the height of the proposed ridge line. Planning Administrator Curtis Williams noted that the new footprint is farther from the Duska's property line than the originally approved one. Mrs. Janet Duska, 2 Burrell Lane, expressed concern about the height of the ridge line and the lot coverage of the proposed project. She also questioned the height -of the original pad, Page 2 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING September 12, 1989 saying that dirt had been added to the pad. Ms. Olson stated that a May 1989 topographic survey coincides very closely to the original tentative tract map of 1979 as far as height of the pad. Harvey Brown, 8 Burrell Lane, representing the Homeowners Association, expressed concerns regarding excessive cantilevering of the decks, view impairment to the Duskas and Del Cerro Park caused by the 20' garage wall, and overintense use of the property. He also noted that the applicant must deal with the Homeowner's Association architectural committee and work within the CC&R's. Mr. Bob Vitro, 1 Burrell Lane, applicant, stated that he was not aware of the controversy, the CC&R's or need to work with the Homeowners Association, since he believed he was working within pre -approved building guidelines. He offered to remove the cantilevered decks from the plan. Mrs. Anita Vitro, 1 Burrell Lane, applicant, stated she had read the CC&R's but believed the plans had to be submitted to the Planning Commission first. Ms. Olson stated that the Vitro project contained a 4557 sq.ft. footprint, 3400 sq.ft. of landscape and 8500 sq.ft. of hardscape for a total of 16,457 sq.ft. of level buildable area which results in 910 open space after development due to the large amount of unuseable land, or 500 open space of useable land. Harvey Brown suggested that the applicant work with the Homeowners Association first and come back to the Commission with a more workable plan. Mrs. Lorna Burrell, 1 Park Place, original subdivider of the development, denied that any dirt had been stockpiled on the pad. Mrs. Anita Vitro stated that there is a tight financial time frame for them, and doesn't understand why there is a problem if they are working within orginally established guidelines. Chairperson Wike noted that if the applicant would drop the ridge height 6", and since the decks are no longer in question, no variance is necessary, and the applicant could get the project approved over the counter. Mrs. Wike noted that the applicant would still have to deal with the CC&R's. The public hearing was closed. Commissioner McNulty moved for a continuance on this matter to the next regular meeting so that the applicant and Homeowners Association can meet. Commissioner Von Hagen seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Page 3 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING September 12, 1989 C. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 146, ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NO. 576 29000 Western Ave. radiology van periodically on C Planning Administrator Curtis Williams presented the staff report. Staff's recommen- dation is to approve, with conditions, applicant's request to park a mobile an existing commercial lot. Chairperson Wike declared the public hearing open. Chris Courtney, 4605 Lankershim Blvd., #802, N. Hollywood, spoke as a representative for applicant Dr. Taus. Mr. Courtney noted that Dr. Taus has taken several steps to minimize the disturbance of the van to the nearby residents including adhering to the new limited hours; installing an electrical hookup so the generator is not necessary, and contacting the Harbor Walk Homeowners Association and affected residents directly. Earl Jordan, 1445 Brett Place, San Pedro, spoke against the CUP, representing the Harbor Walk Homeowners Association. Mr. Jordan stated that Dr. Taus had trespassed into the development, harassing residents. Mr. Jordan also asked why the unit could not be parked in the front on Western Ave. He also feels this situation threatens residential property values. Eileen Barrett, 1445 Brett Place, San Pedro, spoke against the CUP, stating that even the limited hours of operation of the van infringe on her time at home. John J. Huelbig, Jr., 1445 Brett Place, San Pedro, spoke against the CUP. Dr. David Streeter, 516 Avenida Miroia, PVE, spoke in favor of the CUP, citing the need for this type of facility. John Weiker, 31035 Rue Langlois, spoke against the CUP. Chris Courtney spoke again and rebutted several points brought up by the residents. The public hearing was closed. Chairperson Wake asked if a decibel reading on the noise could be taken and Mr. Williams said that equipment was not readily available. Commissioners McNulty and Von Hagen questioned the use of the parking lot as an appropriate place to conduct business. Commissioner McNulty moved to approve the staff recommendation to continue the CUP conditionally for sax months, at which time the applicant must have found an alternative site, unless an on-site location acceptable to the Fare Department and unobtrusive to the residents is Page 4 0 0 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING September 12, 1989 discovered, at which time the CUP would be reconsidered for renewal. Commissioner Hotchkiss seconded the motion, and it passed 4-1 with Commissioner Von Hagen dissenting. A fifteen -minute recess was called at 10:10pm. CONTINUED BUSINESS A. TENTATIVE TRACT MAP NO. 37885 -REV., CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 79 -REV., ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NO. 584 Forrestal Drive, NW of Pirate Drive Associate Planner Carolynn Petru presented the staff report with comments from the Director of Public Works and City Attorney incorporated into the staff's original resolutions. A revised site plan and lot size calculations were also submitted. Chairperson Wike opened the public hearing. Barbara Dye, 7035 Hartcrest Drive, spoke on behalf of the Trails Committee, and stated she was pleased with the trails plan. Sunshine, 6 Limetree Lane, also representing the Trails Committee, asked for various small language changes throughout the Resolution. Dan Gerken, 3501 Jamboree Road, Newport Beach, representing applicant J.M. Peters, recapped the revised plan. Chairperson Wike asked Mr. Gerken if he could increase the rear setback to 20' instead of the proposed 10' setback. Mr. Gerken agreed to do so. Kay Bara, 1 Peppertree, spoke against the project. The public hearing was closed. Chairperson Wike noted that the CUP conditions require only one foundation to be poured within two years of the recordation of the Final Map to keep the CUP from expiring, and she suggested that this number be increased. She also asked for a recommendation to the Council that the trail maintenance and liability be in the hands of the City, not the Homeowners Association. Commissioner Von Hagen noted that the City Attorney has already approved the listed conditions in accordance with City Policy and he discussed the proposed limits on the liveable square footages of the homes. Commissioner Von Hagen moved to approve the second revision with three conditions: That the rear setback be increased to 201; that 20% of all foundations, not just one, be in place within two years of the recordation of the Final Map to prevent the CUP from expiring; and that the liveable area square footage constraints be removed to allow the Page 5 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING September 12, 1989 applicant's architect to design the project within all other height, setback and lot coverage requirements previously suggested by the staff. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hotchkiss, and it passed 3-2 with Chairperson Wike and Commissioner Brooks dissenting. B. SIGN PERMIT NO. 459 Planning Administrator Curtis 28631 Western Ave. Williams presented the staff report regarding approval of specific signage in this commercial center. Staff recommends that one of the two requested signs be approved for the second floor, plus one additional monument sign only. Mr. Lee R. Argabright, 25631 Western Ave., #101, spoke against the staff recommendation, stating that there is a vacancy problem due to the lack of signage, which is otherwise prolific up and down Western Avenue. Commissioner Von Hagen noted that the Planning Commission has worked very hard on sign restrictions to clean up Western Avenue, but that this particular building is being penalized because of the second story internal hallway design. Commissioner Von Hagen moved to approve the applicant's request for a monument sign not to exceed 8' in height or 60 sq.ft. There is to be only one business name per slot, street numbers left where they are now, and wall mounted as per staff's recommendation. Commissioner McNulty seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. The Commission also noted that the banners currently up have to be removed before this permit is issued. NEW BUSINESS Items A and B were continued to the next meeting due to the lateness of the hour. QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE There were no questions from the audience. STAFF REPORTS There were no staff reports. COMMISSION REPORTS * Commissioner Brooks suggested that the Planning Commission's agenda should be sent to the local paper in advance. * Chairperson Wike mentioned the upcoming SWAPC luncheon. Page 6 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING September 12, 1989 * Planning Administrator Williams is working on improving identification signage on vacant lots. * Chairperson Wike would like to rethink policy on RPD's and discuss them with the City Council. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 12:42 AM. Page 7