VRC MINS 20020516 Approved
•
. June 6 2002
CITY OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES
VIEW RESTORATION COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MAY 16, 2002
Chairman Alberio called the meeting to order at 7:08 P.M. at Fred Hesse Community
Park, 29301 Hawthorne Boulevard. The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by
Chairman Alberio.
Present: Chairman Alberio, Vice-Chair Slayden, Commissioner Drages,
Commissioner Dyda, and Commissioner Weber.
Absent: Commissioner De Moraes, and Commissioner Franklin were
absent/excused. Commissioner Iseda was absent.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Commissioner Dyda moved to approve the agenda as presented, seconded by
Commissioner Drages. There being no objection, the agenda was approved,
(4-0).
COMMUNICATIONS:
Staff:
Senior Project Coordinator Nelson distributed an excerpt from the April 2, 2002 Draft
City Council Minutes which pertains to the retirement of the View Restoration
Commission. She reported that the City Council has decided that the function of the
Commission is more to participate in the pre-application mediation process, rather
than to have hearings on view restoration cases. She stated that sometime in the
near future, probably in the month of August, the View Restoration Commission would
be dissolved.
Senior Project Coordinator Nelson reported that Steven Jones is no longer working
with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes and that she is individually handling the View
Restoration cases at the current time. She stated that due to this situation and a
request by Mr. Finazzo to have the City arborist review his request, View Restoration
Permit No. 59 has been rescheduled to the next Regular View Restoration
Commission Meeting of June 6, 2002. She further stated that this case is basically a
review of the maintenance schedule, and that she, the arborist, and Mr. Finazzo
recently met at the property. She stated that the Staff report with the arborist's
recommendations will be mailed to the Commissioners by Friday and that they could
visit the property in preparation for that item to be heard.
Commission:
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MAY 16, 2002
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Chairman Alberio stated that at the recent Mayor's Breakfast the Mayor had stated
that the decision to retire the View Restoration Commission was still not completely
decided.
Commissioner Weber asked if he would be able to remain on the View Restoration
Commission.
Senior Project Coordinator Nelson clarified that the Commission's function is not
changing at the current time, but that the Commission will be retired in the near future.
She stated that the Council would like the Commission to review and make minor
changes to the View Restoration Guidelines to streamline the process in the
meantime.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
1. MINUTES OF MAY 2, 2002
Commissioner Dyda moved to approve the Minutes of May 2, 2002, as
presented. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Drages and was
passed, (4-0).
CONTINUED BUSINESS:
NONE.
PUBLIC HEARING:
2. VIEW RESTORATION PERMIT NO. 59: Mr. and Mrs. Stefano Finazzo, 2175
Rockinghorse Road. (TN)
This item was continued to the next Regular View Restoration Commission meeting of
June 6, 2002.
NEW BUSINESS:
3. DISCUSSION OF RECOMMENDED CHANGES TO THE VIEW RESTORATION
COMMISSION GUIDELINES
Senior Project Coordinator Nelson gave a brief oral Staff Report regarding the
recommended changes to the View Restoration Commission Guidelines suggested by
Commissioners Dyda and Franklin in addition to small items that she has noted since
the last revision to the Guidelines. She stated that before and after photographs
would be added to the Guidelines to help clarify what a significant view might be for
the applicant and foliage owner. She asked if there were any other suggestions or
questions regarding the Guidelines.
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Commissioner Drages asked why the City would determine what the viewing area
would be if there were a dispute between the applicant and the City, as stated under
Section 3.A. of the Guidelines.
Senior Project Coordinator Nelson stated that this clause is in the Guidelines to keep
applicants from creating viewing areas in places that there may not be a view and that
there has never been a problem regarding the viewing area. She further stated that
one problem that has frequently occurred is that the applicant is calling for
maintenance trimming on View Preservation Cases that were decided administratively
and not before the View Restoration Commission. She stated that the way the
Guidelines presently read is that the viewing person is limited to a request for material
in a twelve month period and that if they want a more frequent view analysis of the
property, they must pay a fee for the additional view analysis visit. She stated that if a
schedule of some sort were established regarding maintenance, it would save
considerable Staff time and would clarify the situation for the applicant, the foliage
owners, and the City.
There was Committee discussion regarding the maintenance trimming in order to
allow for the viewing person to maintain their view.
Commissioner Dyda asked if the suggestions made by Commissioner Franklin could
be reviewed point by point so that the View Restoration Commission could make
recommendations to the City Council.
Senior Project Coordinator Nelson suggested that rather than discuss the changes
tonight with half of the View Restoration Commission present, she would rather
receive any additional changes this evening and then incorporate those along with the
suggestions received by Commissioners Franklin and Dyda into the text of the current
Guidelines and bring the modified document with strike-outs and highlights to the View
Restoration Commission at a future meeting for their review, comments, and changes.
Commissioner Dyda made a motion that Staff take the recommendations
submitted by members of the View Restoration Commission and judiciously
incorporate them with strike-outs and highlights to show respective changes in
the Guidelines for review by the View Restoration Commission at the June 20,
2002 View Restoration Commission Meeting. This motion was seconded by
Commissioner Weber and passed, (4-0).
ITEMS TO BE PLACED OF FUTURE AGENDAS:
Commission
None.
Staff
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None.
COMMENTS FROM AUDIENCE (regarding n_-agenda items):
None.-
ADJOURNMENT:
At 7:51 P.M. Committee Member Dyda made a motion that the meeting be
adjourned. The motion was seconded by Committee Member Weber. There
being no objection, the meeting was duly adjourned by Chairman Alberio to the
next Regular View Restoration Commission Meeting of Thursday, June 6, 2002,
at 7:00 P.M., at Hesse Park.
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