PC MINS 19930413MINUTES
PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
APRIL 13, 1993
The meeting was'called to order at 7:30 by Chairman Katherman at
Hesse Park Community Center, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard, Rancho
Palos Verdes, CA.
PRESENT: Commissioners Alberio, Clark, Hayes, and Mowlds, Vice
Chairman Byrd and Chairman Katherman.
ABSENT: Commissioner Lorenzen (Excused).
Also present were Acting Director Carolynn Petru, Associate
Planner Terry Silverman and Associate Planner Donna Jerex. The
Pledge of Allegiance followed.
CONSENT CALENDAR
a. Minutes of March 23 1993.
Page three was corrected to indicate that Commission Clark, not
Commissioner Mowlds, suggested moss for the driveway. Page
three, second sentence was changed to read "... would like to
have had..."
Commissioner Hayes moved, seconded by Commissioner Alberio, to
approve the Minutes of March 23, 1993 as corrected. Motion
carried without objection.
B. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 171 - TIME EXTENSION; Eugene
Muntean and Vessel -Assist Association of America, 30057 Matisse
Drive.
C. CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT NO. 131, VARIANCE NO. 1.8_21 AND GRADING
PERMIT NO. 1066 - TIME EXTENSION; Marriott, northwest corner of
Crestridge Road and Crenshaw Boulevard.
Elizabeth Kelly, 6611 Vallon Drive, requested that Item C. be
removed from the Consent Calendar. She stated that it was a very
significant project and since the public had not heard anything
about it since 1989, it would be appropriate to review the
project again before the time extension was granted.
The Commissioners agreed that due to the litigation, the
applicant had not had a fair opportunity to utilize their ;
Conditional Use Permit and, therefore, the time extension should
be granted.
D. P.C. Resolution No. 93- ; denying Variance No. 352 at 2
Mustang Road (Kenneth Vukov).
In response to Commissioner Clark's query, Associate Planner
Jerex advised that Mr. McNulty had excused himself from the
discussion and the vote on the lot split when he was a member of
the Planning Commission. Chairman Katherman advised that he had
directed Staff to bring back both a resolution to deny and a
resolution to approve the Variance as he believed Mr. McNulty had
presented misinformation at the last hearing: (a) he did not
indicate that he had excused himself from discussing or voting on
the lot split, and (b) he indicated that the site plan that the
applicant presented was conditioned as part of the parcel map
approval which it was not, but was instead an exhibit to show
that the site had 3,000 sq. ft. of buildable area. Chairman
Katherman noted that the applicant's architect had submitted a
letter to the Commission requesting reconsideration. No
Commissioner who had voted for denial at the last hearing
requested reconsideration of the item, therefore, there was no
further discussion.
Commissioner Hayes moved, seconded by commissioner Mowlds, to
approve Consent Calendar Items B, C, and D. Notion carried by
acclamation.
CONTINUED BUSINESS
A. GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENT NO. 19, ZONE CHANGE NO. 20,
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NO. 647; Shafigh Zadeh, 29941 Hawthorne
Boulevard.
Associate Planner Silverman presented the staff report advising
that (1) the applicant had decided to not submit a Conditional
Use Permit application to be reviewed concurrently with the
General Plan Amendment and Zone Change because of the significant
cost and time required, (2) it was not appropriate for the City
to require such an application until a decision was made
regarding the most appropriate use of the land and (3) the City
Attorney had expressed concerns that the mitigation measures
provided in the Revised Initial Study were not adequate. Staff
recommended that the commission accept public testimony on the
Revised Initial Study, General Plan amendment, and Zone Change
and consider recommending one of the three alternatives (specific
Plan District, a Development Agreement between the City and the
landowner, or denial of the project to the City Council).
In response to the commissioners' questions, Associate Planner
Silverman advised that a Specific Plan District is a zoning
designation which would supersede any other zoning designation on
the property; would allow the City to create specific development
standards including requirements for geology and biology to be
resolved; would require an environmental review; would require
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 2
establishment of specific height of structures and view corridors
to be maintained; is not a negotiated agreement, but is imposed
by the City; and is done simultaneously with a General Plan
Amendment with preparation of the Specific Plan to be completed
at a later date and would allow the General Plan amendment to
proceed before the details of the Specific Plan were determined.
Ms. Silverman explained that the Development Agreement is a
negotiated agreement between the City and the landowner; would
also address specific development standards and design standards;
would have to be agreed to prior to any General Plan amendment or
Zone Change, however, if the landowner does not want to accept
height limitations, etc., the City has the option of denying the
zoning change and General Plan Amendment; is binding to any
landowner and would run with the land and could be written to
require that it would only be valid for one year with one, one-
year extension. Ms. Silverman explained that the Planning
Commission has the option to initiate a zoning change to revert
back to the original zoning if the Development Agreement expires
before the property is developed.
She advised that in either case the Initial Study and the
Negative Declaration would have to be revised and recirculated,
and would include a discussion of the fiscal impacts involved
with preparation of either a Specific Plan or a Development
Agreement; the City would have control over the height and the
mitigation factors through environmental review; the geology
problems on the property have to be resolved regardless of the
type of development and the typical procedure of the City is to
resolve those problems prior to issuance of building permits; the
City can include language -in the Specific Plan or Development
Agreement that there is no guarantee that development can occur
if the geology is not resolved, and a Conditional Use Permit
(CUP) would be required for any type of development be it multi-
family or commercial. Ms. Silverman stated that she would have
to consult with the City Attorney to determine if the City could
require that geology information be provided as part of the
Initial Study for either the Specific Plan District or the
Development Agreement. Associate Planner Silverman advised that
the City Attorney had stated a preference for the Specific Plan
District.
Ms. Silverman reported that the only Development Agreement in the
City was at the 7-11 property at Granvia Altamira and Hawthorne.
She advised that there were several Specific Plan Districts
within the City, primarily the Coastal Specific Plan, and there
are several Specific Plan districts along the commercial strip on
Western Avenue.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 3
Acting Director Petru advised that her preference would be for a
Specific Plan District because it gives the City more ability to
impose conditions. Commissioner Clark opined that if the City
imposes conditions through a Specific Plan, the City will have
more prerogatives then they would with a negotiated Development
Agreement. Commissioner Alberio thought the Specific Plan
Agreement gave the City more flexibility and the City could ask
more of the developer.
Commissioner Alberio stated that he had been told by Bob Benard,
former Director of Environmental Services, that there was a
considerable amount of geological information available on this
site. Commissioner Mowlds stated that former commissioners who
had reviewed this same site had informed him that at one time the
geology report had indicated 110 feet of uncompacted fill, and
then the next developer's geology report said the site had 90
feet of uncompacted fill. He asked why the City could not
provide the Planning Commission with that same information. Ms.
Silverman advised that information may have been provided during
a presentation at a public hearing, the information that was
taken from previous staff reports indicated a minimum of 40 feet
of uncompacted fill on the site, and that in 1989 geology studies
were initiated and additional information was requested by the
City geologist which was never submitted by the landowner.
Vice chairman Byrd said the City had to be absolutely sure all
requirements were included in either alternative and that the
City had absolute control. He said he would not want to see a
Development Agreement made with the developer and then have
changes requested in the future. Associate Planner Silverman
advised that a Specific Plan District can also be amended.
Commissioner Hayes expressed her concern that the Development
Code needed to be updated for condominiums and townhome
developments, but that with a Development Agreement, the
Development Code provided the developer with the assurance that
the necessary development permits would be issued regardless of
changes in regulations.
Phil Freeland, Pacific Development Consultants, (representing the
applicant) 3205 Manhattan, Manhattan Beach, stated that they
would do what the City wants as long as it is reasonable,
practicable, and acceptable in all respects; he did not want the
Planning Commission to think they were not willing to do what was
being asked, but the City Attorney and the applicant's attorney
had advised that the CUP was inappropriate at this time; he had
not represented that the 1989 geology reports they had were
final; under state law, a Development Agreement is a mutually
acceptable agreement, as is the Specific Plan which has to be
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 4
reasonable and has to allow for certain development; either
agreement is acceptable to them but they prefer the Development
Agreement; both agreements guarantee that if the applicant goes
ahead and spends time and money he will be able to develop the
site residential; they were willing to discuss details such as
height and parking spaces, but thought they were issues that
would come up as part of a Specific Plan or Development
Agreement; they were prepared to assume the cost of either the
Specific Plan District or Development Agreement process; they had
not presented a specific development plan but had rather
indicated some of the things they would want to see; and if the
City did not think the zone change and General Plan Amendment
were in the City's interest, they would prefer that the
Commission forward a recommendation to deny rather than continue
it.
Shafigh Zadeh, (applicant) 29620 Island View Drive, stated that
he lives close to the site and he values the neighborhood and the
City's goals. Mr. Zadeh said it would be ironic for him to do
anything contrary to those goals or the neighbors' desires, and
he did not want the neighbors to view this project or himself as
an adversary.
Robert Earl, (applicant's architect) 8500 Melrose, Los Angeles,
stated that if a Specific Plan District was dictated with a
maximum 16 foot height limit, he could spread the project out and
possibly open up a view corridor above the 16 feet, but that
would cut off valuable view corridors between the buildings with
their present design. He advised that they are designing this
project to all current codes that serve most California major
cities which may be more restrictive than the City's current
Development Code. Because of the geological conditions on the
property, they are proposing subterranean parking and are
proposing to remove 20 feet of dirt, thus minimizing the depth
of the caissons. He said he knew geology was a problem and that
no building permit could be obtained without approval by the City
geologist.
In response to questions from Commissioners Alberio and Mowlds,
Mr. Earl stated that the present plan was not substantially
different from the plan previously distributed to the
Commissioners and advised that their present development plans
included seven units of 2,000 sq. ft. each with three parking
spaces for each unit. He said they were proposing units to be
done in separate buildings very similar to single family homes
with side yards between the buildings, and that the peak of the
roof would be at 24 feet, but would slope down approximately ten
feet at various areas and allow view corridors between the
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 5
buildings of ten to twenty feet. He noted that all resident and
guest parking would be under grade.
0
Commissioner Mowlds asked Mr. Earl to indicate on the plans how
he would revise the floor plan to allow a view corridor for the
residents at the Seagate Townhomes who have a protected view of
Catalina and the isthmus. Mr. Earl said they took the photograph
of the property from the high part of the hill and designed a
silhouette of the buildings, and the roof pitch and the maximum
roof height based on those photographs. Chairman Katherman and
Commissioner Mowlds said that view was looking along Crest Road
and did not show all impacted views. Commissioner Mowlds also
discussed the problem of geology issues on approved projects
becoming a contest between the City geologist and the developer.
Mr. Earl advised that he had worked in the area for 14 years and
had designed Island View, The Ranch, and other developments
within the City all of which had serious geological
considerations and, therefore, he knew how and in what order to
approach the geological situation. Chairman Katherman advised
that the Commission was dealing with the issue of the uncompacted
fill on this site, which is not a typical condition on the
Peninsula.
Chuck McCormick, President, Seagate Homeowners Association,
stated that the most significant missing part of this project is
the geological study. He could not understand why the commission
was not being very specific and placing the burden on the owner
or developer to prove that there was not going to be a problem
with this site and that the City would not end up in court. He
advised that the Seagate units are the ones that have the most
view impact and that the developer had provided photographs that
do not show the view impact on the Seagate residents. Mr.
McCormick said it was not necessary for the Commission to discuss
whether they do a Development Agreement or a Specific Plan
District because the project was wrong. Mr. McCormick advised
that 620 of the residents in the 167 units had signed petitions
opposing the project.
Vice Chairman Byrd advised that under a specific Plan or
Development Agreement, the City could identify and ask for view
corridors that were absolute which might offer more view
protection than Seagate residents now have as they can be
specified in more detail than what is in the General Plan. Mr.
McCormick advised that the Seagate Homeowners had not discussed
the merits of a Specific Plan District or a Development Agreement
and that their discussions had focused on the fact that a
building height of 30 feet or 24 feet was outrageous because of
the impact on views. He stated, however, that they were more
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 6
concerned with the basic issue of geology and finding out what
can be built on the site before worrying about view corridors.
Victor N. Cabas,(representing the Monaco Homeowners Association)
31021 Marne Drive, testified against the zone change and said
that the Homeowners Association had never received formal notice
about this project. He expressed his concern about the view
impact and asked if the developer had taken into consideration
view corridors for their area. He said the Monaco residents were
also concerned about an ETR and a geological survey, safety,
traffic and additional costs to the City. He stated that
although the owner had a right to build on the site, people who
live in the area have a right to make sure that the development
is in accordance with the General Plan. In response to
Commissioner Clark's question, Mr. Cabas advised that there are
272 homes in Monaco but no polling had been done of the
homeowners.
Frank Sesno, (representing Cresta Verdes Homeowners Association),
97 Cresta Verdes stated that they could live with the 16 foot
commercial height limit but that the proposed project created
significant view impairment and would affect property values. He
advised that 65% of the residents had signed a petition opposing
the Zone Change and that views would be impacted in approximately
20 of the 104 units.
Dawn Henry, 6525 Via Colinita, President, Rancho Palos Verdes
Council of Home Owners Associations, advised that they had
discussed the project at their February meeting and had voted
unanimously to oppose any zoning change. She said they wanted
the site to be consistent with the General Plan and they were
very concerned about view impairment, increased density, and
geology. Ms. Henry stated that it was very important to have
plans and a full understanding of the geological conditions
before any approval was given. She thought the Specific Plan and
Development Agreement allowed considerable leeway between the
City and the developer and asked how much allowance there was for
citizen input. Ms. Henry advised that the Council of Homeowners
Associations was requesting that a full EIR be done rather than a
Negative Declaration, that any construction be done in compliance
with the General Plan and that there be full mitigation of any
adverse impacts. She stated that they recommend that the
Commission deny this project and said they do not want a
precedent to be set for this area. She advised that no polling
was done of the Associations, but that all of the 20 Homeowner
Association representatives who attended the meeting (out of a
total 30 ) were against the Zone Change and General Plan
Amendment.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 7
RECESS AND RECONVENE
The meeting recessed at 9:15 p.m. and reconvened at 9:30.
John Sharkey, 30320 Avendia de Calma, voiced his concern that he
was left off the notice mailing list. He asked why the
Commission was doing anything at all to change the General Plan
or Zoning since there was nothing in it for the citizens. He
advised that other projects had granted such things as 30% common
open space and they still had to adhere to the Development Code,
whereas this developer wants approval for a 24 foot building
upfront with a tentative Development Agreement and units with
2,000 sq. ft. which is below that required by the Development
Code. He said the developer was also proposing a subterranean
garage with caissons and since Jonathan Atwood has discovered a
pair of nesting gnatcatchers on the site, they can't go down 40
feet to 100 feet. Mr. Sharkey said there are also the issues of
view impact and geology. He stated that the General Plan is
always the controlling document whether talking about a specific
Plan District or a Development Agreement and this proposal is in
many ways against the City's General Plan. He noted that the
Negative Declaration is illegal According to the City Attorney
because they have not significantly reduced the view obstruction.
Robin Rushmore, 6542 ocean crest Drive, stated that the project
will obstruct her view and her property values will go down.
David Bray, 6661 Crest Road, stated that the Planning Commission
is under no obligation to grant a zone change. He said he had
seven years of experience, including President, on the Board of
Directors of the Homeowners Association of Rolling Hills and had
dealt many times with borderline property because that is all
that is left in Rolling Hills. He advised that the time to stop
a bad project is at the very beginning because the longer you go
into a project, the more difficult it becomes to deny. He
thought the Commission should not consider a Specific Plan or a
Development Agreement and urged a no vote on the Zone Change.
Kim Zaslow, 6526 Ocean Crest Drive, Seagate Villas, said she
purchased her condo because of the view and serenity, for which
she paid a good price because it sure was not for the square
footage. She stated that she was opposed to the zoning change
and would like to keep the site commercial, but that she really
thought the site was unbuildable. Ms. Zaslow suggested a one
story, beautiful restaurant be put on the site.
Maria Kowalski, 6542 ocean crest Drive, advised that 62% of the
Seagate residents had signed a petition opposing the project and
that this did not mean that 38% of the people were for the
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 8
project, just that they did not respond. She said that the
residents were still trying to figure out the Specific Plan and
Development Agreement alternatives. She informed the commission
that many of the residents were not notified of the meeting.
Steven Kowalski, 6542 Ocean Crest Drive, testified against the
project and advised that there is no tax benefit to the City from
the General Plan Amendment as the tax revenue would be trivial
and would be offset by increased service costs; there is no low
to moderate income housing benefit and, in fact, the City Council
thinks the housing requirement has already been met; there is no
public support and most residents are against it; it appears that
the Staff and Planning Commission are not following CEQA and the
Development code requirements and the developer is attempting to
circumvent these regulations; it appears that the staff report
was written by and included the developer's demands; creative
zoning is being done since rather than following the General Plan
and Development Code, two alternatives were suggested which would
allow custom zoning of the lot; he was upset that their tax
dollars are being used to find any way possible to get the
project approved; the developer has provided very little
information about the project and each request by the Planning
Commission has been refused as they did not get a silhouette of
the full envelope and did not get any more information about the
geology or any specifics about the project; the Specific Plan
District and Development Agreement should follow the Development
Code not contradict it and they should not ease constraints, but
should make them more restrictive; by law, the Specific Plan and
Development Agreement must be consistent with the General Plan
and should not be used as a mechanism to amend it; and Staff had
informed him that it was proposed that the Development Agreement
include a condition that the City will agree to a General Plan
amendment which is not an appropriate use of the Development
Agreement as it should be consistent with the General Plan;
anything over 16 feet is unacceptable; this is not a situation
that requires a compromise since when the applicant bought the
property he knew he could only build a 16 foot commercial
structure; the developer is proposing to reduce the minimum floor
space per unit to 2,000 sq. ft. from the 3,600 sq. ft. required
by the Development Code; the traffic impact has not been
adequately addressed and a custom zone change should not be
considered until they have more information about geological and
environmental impacts. He questioned the history of the site and
asked if it had been zoned commercial just to allow the previous
trailer on the site. Mr. Kowalski asked why did the last owner
not build here; what happens to the Development Agreement after
it is cancelled or expires and how is it enforced; and was the
applicant asking for a ten year agreement rather than the allowed
five years so he could sell the site rather than develop it.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 9
Associate Planner Silverman advised that an amendment to the
General Plan would not be a condition of a Development Agreement,
and her discussion with Mr. Kowalski was actually a reference to
timing and how the procedure would work and she had responded to
him that it could be part of the preamble that a Development
Agreement was being created as part of a General Plan Amendment
or in association with the General Plan Amendment and would not
be a requirement of the Development Agreement. Vice Chairman
Byrd said he thought the language in the Staff report was quite
clear that a Development Agreement meant that they make a zoning
change and a General Plan Amendment and also create an agreement
with the applicant and it would all be done at the same time.
Ms. Silverman also explained that the Development Code requires a
minimum lot area per unit of 3,600 sq. ft. and does not establish
a minimum unit size.
Bob Shaftel, 6526 Ocean Crest Drive, stated that he could see no
benefit to the alternatives presented by staff other than to
reduce the risks and expense to the developer. He advised that
if the Planning Commission recommended either the Development
Agreement or Specific Plan District, they would be party to
bypassing the guarantee protecting his views that the City
afforded him when he bought his home and would allow that view to
be degraded and his and his neighbor's property values to suffer.
He was concerned about the ability of the City to adequately
define the conditions and constraints and then to hold the line
with the developer or subsequent developer as something always
falls through the cracks. He opined that it was usually possible
over time to get a deviation from a specific requirement. Mr.
Shaftel advised that even with a 16 foot building his view would
be degraded.
Sharon Creighton, 6526 Ocean Crest Drive, testified in opposition
to the project because it would completely block her view of
Catalina Island and she bought her unit because she understood
the view was protected; there are geological problems with the
site for which all the citizens of Rancho Palos Verdes will
ultimately bear the financial brunt of future lawsuits against
the City for allowing development on a site consisting of
uncompacted fill; there is a potential for damage to wild life;
and she is concerned about the forthrightness of the developer
and property owner and thought the community was not getting full
disclosure of what will be done on the site. In response to Mr.
Zadeh's statement that he did not want to do anything that was
adversary to his neighbors, she said she thought taking away her
view and that of her neighbors was clearly adversarial and
risking a potential lawsuit against the City was clearly not in
the interest of his neighbors or the City as a whole.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 10
Shell Kaplan, 6542 Ocean Crest Drive, testified against the
project and asked why the Commission and Staff were expending all
this time without knowing if the geology would permit the
proposed project and he recommended that the geology study be
done before anything else was considered.
Acting Director Petru explained that in a case where the land use
change that was being requested was going from a non -buildable or
low density site to something higher where intensification of
land use is being proposed, it is reasonable and necessary to
require geology studies first. However, the project before the
Commission is currently zoned for commercial development and the
requested Zone Change is moving to an equivalent and maybe even a
smaller size building and gross area with a multi -residential
project. The geology will be an issue in either case and staff
felt there was no change in impacts expected and that they will
have to go through full geology before a building permit is
issued, but changing the land use does not result in an impact to
geology that was not there before.
Acting Director Petru advised that the General Plan identifies
the public view corridors over this site as one heading down
Crest towards Hughes Market and one heading south on Hawthorne
Boulevard and because those view corridors are at risk with this
project, the City has the ability to look at the impact on public
views. If the private view that is being enjoyed over this
property would be blocked at 16 feet, it would not be a protected
view under the Development Code because the City has to provide a
minimum development right to a piece of property that has a
developable zoning district on it. Ms. Petru advised that the
General Plan public view corridors have more stringent
requirements than views from private property simply because one
is at a lower elevation in a car than standing in a unit
overlooking the site. The General Plan protects the views here
not because of the private view, but because of the view
corridors from the public right of ways on Crest and Hawthorne.
Commissioner Alberio said he would not want to grant a zone
change on property that a subsequent geology report might reveal
that the site could not be built on.
In his rebuttal, Mr. Freeland stated that they were not trying to
hide anything and had gone to the City Council with an honest
proposal to develop the property as residential since there is
absolutely no potential for commercial development on the site;
it is the Planning Commission's right, obligation and responsi-
bility to consider the land use issue; they have made commitments
to the City that they would take care of the issues of view
impairment, etc.; there is no basis for the statements that all
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 11
views would be lost because of a land use change; a commercial
project would be more detrimental than a residential project;
either a Development Agreement or Specific Plan District will
cover the issues the Commission wanted to address in a CUP; and
they had not dictated anything to the City but had suggested
ideas as to where they would like to go with a development plan.
Vice Chairman Byrd asked if they would accept a 16 foot maximum
height on a residential project. Mr. Freeland said that would be
difficult and they were aware that a previous planning commission
had approved a 21 foot project on the site. He said that 16 feet
would mean a one-story building. He stated that they could move
the project down and accommodate a project that would not impact
any views but that they probably would not accept a commercial or
a residential project at 16 feet.
Commissioner Mowlds said it was difficult to believe that the
property was not viable as a commercial site because Pacific
Sales was opening a retail outlet across the street. Mr.
Freeland said there was no similarity between office building and
retail commercial developments and they don't know if that
development will be successful. Commissioner Mowlds said there
would be tag along possibilities if the commercial development
across the street was successful and then the site would become
viable for commercial development.
Commissioner Hayes thought that because of the current market for
office space, residential might be better than office buildings,
but there were problems with mitigation and control and also, the
proposed height of 24 feet was not acceptable because it would
block views. Mr. Freeland stated that a final view corridor
analysis had not been done and would be done much more thoroughly
as part of the process, but they are not going to put $150,000 on
the line not knowing if they may do a residential development to
prove to the City that, in fact, they can.
Vice Chairman Byrd moved, seconded by commissioner Hayes, to
close the public hearing. motion carried 6-0.
Vice chairman Byrd moved, seconded by Commissioner Alberio, to
take no action on the Negative Declaration and to deny the
General Plan Amendment and Zone Change.
Vice Chairman Byrd said that there might be advantages with a
Specific Plan District as it could define the requirements more
specifically than the General Plan, but he would require a 16
foot height limit which was not acceptable to the applicant; so
in order to save the City time and money, he moved to deny the
application.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 12
I r .
The Commissioners restated their concerns about view impairment,
habitat destruction, traffic, geological conditions and possible
lawsuits because of the geological problems. They concluded that
they did not have enough information about these issues or the
physical components of the project. Chairman Katherman
recommended that an EIR be done for a conceptual development plan
before they move ahead on the project.
The motion carried 6-0 on a roll call vote.
REPORTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
A. STAFF
1. Acting Director Petru advised that the Ocean Trails -
project will be heard by the Coastal Commission on April 15,
1993.
2. Acting Director Petru announced that the new Director of
Environmental Services, Bret B. Bernard, would start April 19,
1993.
3. Acting Director Petru advised that the City Manager had
requested that the View Restoration Ordinance be reagendized for
City Council. The subcommittee is to meet with Staff to prepare
P
a report on the proposed changes.
B. COMMISSION
1. Vice Chairman Byrd advised that he and Associate Planner
Silverman visited the site and obtained new information on
Variance No. 347, 5561 Graylog (Panah). He will make the
presentation to City Council on behalf of the Planning
Commission.
2. Acting Director Petru, Commissioner Alberio and Chairman
Katherman will plan a luncheon for former Director of
Environmental Services, Dudley Onderdonk.
ADJOURNMENT
Commissioner Alberio moved, seconded by Commissioner Hayes to
adjourn. Motion carried and the meeting was duly adjourned at
10:55 p.m.
PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES
APRIL 13, 1993
PAGE 13