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PC MINS 19970318CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES PLANNING COMMISSION ADJOURNED MEETING MARCH 18, 1997 CALL TO ORDER APPROVED 4/8j97 Q The meeting was called to order at 7 00 P.M by Chairman Vannorsdall at the Hesse Park Community Building, 29310 Hawthorne Boulevard FLAG SALUTE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Associate Planner Pfost. ROLL CALL Present Commissioners Alberio, Ng, Vice Chairman Whiteneck, and Chairman Vannorsdall. Absent Commissioners Cartwright, Clark, and Slayden (all excused) (Commissioners Cartwright and Clark arrived later during the meeting) Also present were Director/Secretary Petru, Associate Planner Pfost, and Recording Secretary Atuatasi Commissioner Alberio moved to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Ng, and there being no objection, it was so ordered by Chairman Vannorsdall, (4-0). COMMUNICATIONS Staff Director/Secretary Petru distributed 1) a letter addressed to the City Council and Commission from the applicant regarding Variance No 414 and a copy of the Mayor's response to the applicant's letter, and, 2) copies of the resolutions for Agenda Item No 1, since they were misprinted in the agenda packet. At 7.05 P M Commissioner Clark and Commissioner Cartwright arrived at the meeting and took their seats at the dais Commission Commissioner Ng thanked Director/Secretary Petru for allowing the Commission to attend the League of California Cities `Planner's Institute' Conference She stated that the experience was educational and enjoyable Commissioner Clark thanked Recording Secretary Atuatasi for coordinating travel arrangements and lodging accommodations for the Commission He stated that he was impressed with the sessions at the conference and found it to be very beneficial. Mr Clark proposed that the Commissioners compile all of their notes and materials to be copied and distributed to the entire Commission. Chairman Vannorsdall concurred with Commissioner Clark's last comment and suggested that the Commission listen to a tape which he had purchased at the session called "Wireless Communications". Chairman Vannorsdall provided a copy of this tape to Director/Secretary Petru and requested that Staff record copies of this tape and provide them to the Commission members who requested for a copy of the tape Commissioner Cartwright echoed at the comments that were previously made by his fellow Commissioners. He expressed his appreciation for being given the opportunity to attend the conference and stated that it was very educational and enlightening. Mr. Cartwright also commended Recording Secretary Atuatasi for coordinating the travel arrangements and lodging accommodations Commissioner Cartwright stated while at the conference, he obtained a hand-out at one of the sessions called "Findings" He then requested Staff to produce copies and provide the Commission with this valuable information at a future meeting. Commissioner Ng stated that she had also obtained a hand-out regarding wireless communications to share with the Commission and requested that copies be produced and distributed at the next regular meeting Director/Secretary Petru suggested that if the Commission desired to present the information obtained from the conference at the next regular meeting, it would be helpful if the Commission provided Staff with all materials by the next day. She stated that this would allow time for Staff to copy and collate the information in order to meet the Thursday evening packet delivery to the Commission Commissioner Ng noted on the pre -agenda that the items for the next meeting consisted of several requests from commercial antenna facilities She suggested that the wireless communications hand-outs she obtained from the conference be copied and distributed with the agenda packet for the March 25, 1997 meeting. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 2 Commissioner Whiteneck stated that he was very pleased with the conference, as compared to those he had attended in the past. He stated that there were more symposiums with excellent speakers, who were well prepared to speak on the subjects that were presented at the sessions At this time Chairman Vannorsdall stated that there were no further communications by the Commission nor were there any items on the Consent Calendar for discussion. Before Agenda Item No 1 was discussed, Commissioner Ng inquired about an upcoming workshop that the Commission may be interested in attending Chairman Vannorsdall replied that the California Contract Cities Association was sponsoring the "14th Annual Commissioner's Workshop" in Cerritos on Saturday, April 5, 1997 He stated that if any Commission members were interested in attending, they should contact Recording Secretary Atuatasi to make the necessary arrangements PUBLIC HEARINGS Tentative Tract Map No. 46651 - Amendment No. 2, Conditional Use Permit No. 1389 - Revision `A', and Addendum No. 2 to Environmental Impact Report No. 32; Kajima Development Corporations Tentative Tract Map No. 46651 located at the southwest corner of Crest Road and Highridge Road. Chairman Vannorsdall introduced this agenda item and briefly read the requested action as well as Staffs recommendation for the proposed project. Associate Planner Pfost presented the Staff Report and stated that the applicant was requesting to* 1) amend the Grading Permit in order to allow the export of up to 80,000 cubic yards of soil from the subject site; 2) clarify the timing of some of the conditions of approval for the Conditional Use Permit; and, 3) eliminate one condition of approval in the Tentative Tract Map regarding monitoring wells Mr. Pfost concluded his presentation by stating that since there were no new or increased significant impacts to the site, or the surrounding neighborhood, Staff recommended adoption of the Draft Resolution recommending City Council approval of Addendum No 2 for EIR No 32, Draft Resolution recommending City Council approval of Tentative Tract Map No. 46651 - Amendment No 2, and Draft Resolution for approval of Conditional Use Permit No 151 - Revision 'B' and Grading No. 1389 - Revision 'A' At this time Chairman Vannorsdall asked if the Commission had any questions PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 3 Commissioner Cartwright Inquired about the Inconsistency in the hours of operation. He noted that In the Staff Report, the hours of operation were from 8 00 A M through 5 00 P M , but the conditions of approval for the Conditional Use Permit Included the hours of 7.00 A.M. through 7,00 P M Associate Planner Pfost replied that the hours from 8 00 A.M through 5.00 P.M would apply, since this was the stricter standard, and that the conditions of approval for the Conditional Use Permit should be revised to reflect those hours Commissioner Cartwright Inquired as to where the hour of 8 00 A.M. came from, since it was not Indicated in the updated noise assessment study. Commissioner Ng replied that on the last page of the noise assessment study there was an addendum attached indicating the changed time for the hours of operation. Commissioner Cartwright noted on page 11 of the proposed mitigation measures that hours of operation were from 7.00 A.M to 7.00 P.M Director/Secretary Petru clarified the hours of operation to the Commission and stated that the 8.00 A M through 5.00 P.M. time frame came from the original mitigation monitoring program She stated that for consistency purposes the Conditional Use Permit would be amended to reflect the same requirement Commissioner Ng inquired about the elimination of the condition in the Tentative Tract Map regarding the monitoring wells She noted that there was a letter included with the Staff Report from the City's geotechnical consultant, but felt that this was insufficient information to explain the removal of the requirement. Associate Planner Pfost replied that the City's geotechnical consultant had reviewed and agreed with the findings submitted by the applicant's geologist He also indicated that a copy of the geology report that was submitted to the City could be provided to the Commissions for review, if requested. Chairman Vannorsdall stated that he did not see any provisions in the mitigation measures regarding dust control. Associate Planner replied that there were existing mitigation measures within the program which addressed the Issue of dust control, primarily through watering of the site during grading operations Commissioner Cartwright asked how long it would take to remove the 80,000 cubic yards of soil from the subject site PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 4 Commissioner Ng replied that, since the amount of soil that could be carried per truck load was about 14 cubic yards, the total time spent on removing 80,000 cubic yards from the site would be approximately twenty-four days. Chairman Vannorsdall asked the Commission for a motion to open the Public Hearing. Commissioner Alberio moved to open the Public Hearing, seconded by Commissioner Ng. There being no objection, it was so ordered by Chairman Vannorsdall, (6-0). Chairman Vannorsdall asked if there were any speakers for this item Mr Bruce Froehlich, Kajima Development Corporation, 901 Corporate Center Drive, Monterey Park, expressed his appreciation to the Commission holding an adjourned meeting to discuss the proposed project. Mr Froehlich stated that the equipment and trucks would need at least an hour to warm-up before work could begin on the site He suggested that the hours of operation should commence at 7 00 A M , and not 8 00 A.M., since he would lose one hour of productive time in an eight hour work day. He also felt that it would create a traffic impact for the surrounding neighborhood, since the quitting time would be pushed back to 5.00 P M Mr Froehlich suggested that the Commission consider the hours of operation the City of Rolling Hills Estates required for the Caymen project across the street and factor this information into determining the appropriate hours of operation for his project As for the monitoring wells Mr. Froehlich stated that Kajima was required to perform test drilling and discovered that the soil is more suitable than was initially believed and, therefore, the wells would not be necessary. He then stated that the City's geotechnical consultant had concurred with this determination. In conclusion, Mr Froehlich stated that his civil engineer and contractor were present to answer questions for the Commission Mr. Dick Arela, contractor for the Kajima project, stated that if the hours of operation were required to begin at 8 00 A M instead of 7,00 A M , they would loose one hour of work each day, which would prolong the amount of time required for completion of the export operation and the project as a whole He estimated that it would take 8 additional working days to complete the export with the later start time Mr. Arela stated that their would be less impact to traffic in the surrounding neighborhood if the hours of operation were allowed to begin at 7.00 A M Mr. Tom Alleyj 6304 Sattes Drive, stated that he did not feel that the appearance of the project (Caymen) across the street in the City of Rolling Hills Estates was pleasing he was particularly amazed at the large fill slope that had been created adjacent to La Croix Drive He hoped that the City had not made the same mistakes in approving the grading plan for the Kajima project in 1991. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 6 Mr. Bill Griffin, 5 Ginger Root Lane, stated that he lived three miles away from the proposed project, but stated that if the applicant's request was granted, the export of soil from the site would create a noise impact in the surrounding neighborhood Mr. Bill Haaelstein, 21 Misty Acres, Rolling Hills Estates, stated that the 7 00 A.M start time would be appropriate during the weekdays, since children would be attending school and adults were going to work, but felt that these hours were not suitable for the weekends or holidays and a later start time would be more appropriate for these days Chairman Vannorsdall asked the Commission for a motion to close the Public Hearing Vice Chairman Whiteneck moved to close the Public Hearing, seconded by Commissioner Ng. There being no objection, Chairman Vannorsdall declared the Public Hearing closed, (6-0). Chairman Vannorsdall asked the Commission if they desired to discuss this item Vice Chairman Whiteneck observed that if the Commission granted the extra hour to commence work at 7 00 A.M , the proposed project would probably be completed in the minimum amount of time Whereas, the 8 00 A.M time frame would increase the number of days required for the completion for the proposed project. Commissioner Cartwright felt that the surrounding neighborhood's concern was the impact to traffic and not so much a noise issue He stated that it would be best if the project were completed by 24 days rather than 32. Commissioner Clark felt that the developer should consult with the homeowners in the area to hear their concerns before the Commission made a decision on the appropriate hours of operation Mr Clark stated that the neighbors in the surrounding area would have to deal with the impacts whether or not the hours of operation were scheduled for 7 00 AN or 8 00 A.M. Commissioner Ng agreed with Commissioner Clark's opening comment and suggested that maybe the hours of operation could be changed to 8.00 A.M through 6 00 P M Commissioner Alberio agreed with both the developer and the contractor regarding the earlier start time and concluded by stating that the sooner the work was completed, the happier the neighbors would be Chairman Vannorsdall asked for a motion from the Commission regarding this item PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 6 Vice Chairman Whlteneck asked the contractor if the equipment and trucks used for the proposed project were able to hold more than 14 cubic yards of soil. At this time Director/Secretary Petru asked the Chairman if he would like to re -open the Public Hearing. Chairman Vannorsdall declared that the Public Hearing was re -opened. Mr Arela responded to Vice Chairman Whiteneck's inquiry by stating that the maximum load per truck could not exceed over 14 cubic yards of soil. Chairman Vannorsdall declared the Public Hearing was closed. Chairman Vannorsdall asked for a motion from the Commission regarding this item. Commissioner Alberio moved to accept Staffs Recommendation with a provision that the hours of operation would begin at 7 00 A M. There was no second to the motion Director/Secretary Petru commented on the condition of approval and the mitigation measure regarding the hours of operation. She suggested that there were three possible alternatives available to the Commission before making a decision on the proposed project 1) modify the hours of operation as deemed appropriate by the Commission; 2) continue the item and direct Staff to consult with the City of Rolling Hills Estates and the adjacent homeowners on the hours of operation used for the Caymen project, or, 3) re -write the conditions of approval and mitigation measures so that specific hours of operation were not specified at that time, but would be determined by the Director at a later time Commissioner Alberio asked if the geology report for the monitoring wells had been reviewed and approved by the City's geotechnical consultant. Director/Secretary Petru replied that indeed it had been. Commissioner Alberio then asked about the status of the grading permit for the project. Director/Secretary Petru replied that the developer had been working on several aspects of the grading plan, in order to satisfy various conditions of approval. PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 7 Commissioner Cartwright stated that it was very important to obtain additional feedback regarding the adjacent project (Caymen), and felt that this would serve as a basis for determining the appropriate hours of operation for the subject property Mr Cartwright also stated that it would not make any sense if the Commission decided to schedule the hours of operation at 8.00 A M while the adjacent project commenced work at 7 00 A M He stated that the developer had agreed to consult with the homeowners in the area to receive feedback and, therefore, felt that this item should be continued until the information had been received from the homeowners and reviewed by the Commission Commissioner Ng concurred with Commissioner Cartwright's statement. She then inquired if there was additional information available regarding the geologic borings and the monitoring wells Director/Secretary Petru replied that there was a technical report on file with the City's geotechnical consultant and that a copy of the report could be retrieved for the Commission's review, if so requested. Commissioner Ng felt that this information should have been included in the packet for the Commission's review Commissioner Clark asked if there were any other issued that the Commission should be informed of regarding the geology report before taking action on the project Director/Secretary Petru replied that Staff had no further comments regarding the geology report of the City geotechnical consultant's determination. Commissioner Clark stated that Commissioner Ng was diligent in raising her concern, but that felt that the Commission should make a decision on the project since Staff had no additional comments regarding the geology report. Director/Secretary Petru suggested that the Commission may be moving towards a solution that was a combination of the first and third alternative she had suggested earlier Ms Petru elaborated by stating that the Commission could establish hours of operation at that evening's meeting, which could be later modified by the Director after input had been received regarding the Caymen project and from the neighbors in the surrounding area that would be effected by the construction project. Commissioner Clark suggested that the Commission vote on the project as whole, and then give Staff a few minutes to draft specific language pursuant to the Director's latest suggestion PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 8 Commissioner Alberio moved to adopt all three draft Resolutions: 1) forwarding the recommendation to City Council that the Addendum EIR be approved; 2) approving the revisions to the Conditional Use Permit and Grading Permit; and, 3) forwarding the recommendation to City Council that the amendment to the Tentative Tract Map be approved. The motion was seconded by Chairman Vannorsdall and passed by a roll -call vote, (5-1) with Commissioner Ng dissenting. Commissioner Ng stated that since there was insufficient technical information provided regarding the elimination of the monitoring wells, and due to the fact that Commissioner Alberto's motion included action on all three Items before the Commission, Instead of one by one, she dissented on the entire roll -call vote RECESS AND RECONVENE At 8.50 P.M. there was a brief recess to allow the Staff to draft condition language. The meeting was reconvened at 9:08 P.M. At this time, Director/Secretary Petru read two alternative conditions of approval regarding Conditional Use Permit Condition No B3 (hours of operation) 1) The hours of operation for construction and grading activity shall be from Monday through Saturday 7:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., no on-site work on equipment or vehicles shall be permitted before or after the hours indicated No warming -up of vehicles shall occur before 7.00 A M and after consultation with the developers and the adjacent residents in the surrounding neighborhood, the Director may further limit the hours of construction and grading as necessary. 2) The hours of operation of construction and grading activity shall be limited to Monday through Saturday 8.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M., no on-site work on equipment or vehicles shall be permitted before or after the hours indicated. No warming -up of vehicles shall occur before 8 00 A M. and after consultation with the developer and the adjacent residents in the surrounding neighborhood, the Director may extend the construction hours to 7 00 P M. as necessary. The Commission agreed by acclamation to accept the language in the first alternative Chairman Vannorsdall noted the 15 -day appeal period PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1997 Page 9 ITEMS TO BE PLACED ON FUTURE AGENDAS Staff: 2 Pre -Agenda for the regular Planning Commission Meeting of March 25, 1997. Commission: COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE ADJOURNMENT At 9:13 P.M. Vice Chairman Vannorsdall moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Alberio, and there being no objection it was so ordered by Chairman Vannorsdall, (6-0). N:IGROUPIPLANNINGIPCMINIMIN03.18 PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES March 18, 1887 Page 10