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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/26/2020MINUTES OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MAY 26, 2020 CONSISTENT WITH THE GOVERNOR'S LATEST EXECUTIVE ORDER TO STAY AT HOME, AVOID GATHERINGS AND MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, THIS MEETING WAS CONDUCTED TELEPHONICALLY AND PLANNING COMMISSIONERS, CITY STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATED VIA TELECONFERENCE. CALL TO ORDER: Chair/Mok called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: VC/Rawlings led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Commissioners: Naila Barlas, Mahendra Garg, Raymond Wolfe, Vice Chairperson William Rawlings, and Chairperson Kevin Mok Staff Members Participating: Greg Gubman, Community Development Director; James Eggart, Assistant City Attorney; Hal Ghafari, Public Works Manager/Assistant City Engineer; Grace Lee, Senior Planner, May Nakajima, Associate Planner; Natalie T. Espinoza, Associate Planner; and Stella Marquez, Administrative Coordinator. Consultants Participating: Paul Herrmann, P.E., Transportation Engineer with Fehr & Peers. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS: None 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As presented. 4. CONSENT CALENDAR: 4.1 Minutes —Regular Meeting — Mav 12. 2020 C/Wolfe moved, C/Barlas seconded, to approve the May 12, 2020, Meeting Minutes as submitted. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Barlas, Garg, Wolfe, VC/Rawlings, Chair/Mok NOES COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None 5. OLD BUSINESS: None. 6. NEW BUSINESS: 6.1 Review Of Fiscal Year 2020-202 Conformity with the General Plan. SP/Lee presented staffs report and recommended Planning Commission adoption of a Resolution finding the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Capital Improvement Program in conformance with the City General Plan. MAY 26, 2020 PAGE 2 PLANNING COMMISSION C/Garg asked when the deferred projects would move forward and PWM/Ghafari said he understands that if the revenue estimates improve and funding becomes available, there will be amendments to the CIP presented to the City Council for consideration. Due to COVID-19, the budget is fluid and subject to amendments/changes moving forward. To date, there is no particular timeframe for completion, however, staff hopes these projects will move forward in the near future. Chair/Mok asked if Item 6.1, the Grand Avenue/Golden Springs Drive enhancements was an 18 month or 8-month construction schedule and SP/Lee responded that it proposed to be an 18-month schedule. VC/Rawlings said that the Commission should be looking at all items including the items that are deferred for conformity. If funding becomes available, that will be a matter for Council's consideration and these items will not come back to the Commission to determine conformity. SP/Lee confirmed that VC/Rawlings was correct. C/Garg moved, C/Barlas seconded, to adopt a Resolution finding the proposed Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Capital Improvement Program in conformance with the City's General Plan. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: Barlas, Garg, Wolfe, VC/Rawlings, Chaok None None ABSTAIN: COMMISSIONERS: None 6.2 New CEQA Vehicle Miles Traveled "VMT" Transportation Thresholds Paul Herrmann presented staffs report and requested the Planning Commission adopt a Resolution recommending City Council adoption of the new CEQA VMT parameters and thresholds. C/Garg asked how the VMT will be monitored. Mr. Herrmann responded that projects subject to the VMT will be new development projects that are subject to CEQA. They will have to perform an analysis that will show whether or not that project, on a per -capita basis, is going to be higher or lower than the adopted threshold of significance. Typically, the SCAG model is used which is a travel demand forecasting model which is sensitive to land use projects and the VMT can be measured per city per traffic analysis zone. The simplest way to think about VMT is that it is the number of trips multiplied by the length of those -trips. The City of Diamond Bar is MAY 26, 2020 PAGE 3 PLANNING COMMISSION adopting a threshold of where they are comparing their new projects against the City average and these projects will have to show that their VMT per person will be less than the City average which is calculated within the travel demand model. Chair/Mok asked if this new approach to traffic would necessarily take longer for completion of a project as opposed to the current method. Mr. Herrmann said that in lots of ways it would not. For example, the new analysis and methodology does not require the collection of existing traffic data so new counts do not have to be collected, which can typically delay projects. In addition, as previously mentioned, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG) is in the process of producing a screening tool which will be available to all cities included in the project and many of the projects that are entered will be able to use the screening tool, enter characteristics of the project and could get screened out from any assessment in which the traffic analysis could be done within a day or a week. Projects that will have to perform the analysis will take three to four weeks to do so. SP/Lee referred Chair/Mok to page 3 of the staff report which lists the types of projects that would be exempt from VMT analysis under CEQA. Mr. Herrmann further explained that Diamond Bar just went through a General Plan Update in which it maintained a Level of Service policy which means that the City will still require applicants to conduct a traditional Level of Service Analysis in the Traffic Study in order to maintain the desired Level of Service standard within the City. This will be enforced through measures that are not subject to CEQA and that document will not end up in the EIR. C/Wolfe asked if within the City there was any transit that was operating at 15 minute service intervals. Mr. Herrmann responded to C/Wolfe that the Metrolink station would qualify as a TPA so a '/2 mile buffer around that station qualifies as a Transit Priority Area. He does not believe that Diamond Bar has any bus services that have 15-minute headways which is what is needed to qualify for a Transit Priority Area. C/Wolfe felt it was critical for the City, as it looks for certain types of development, to engage in dialogue with Foothill Transit and LA Metro. At his day job, they work very closely with the Office of Planning and Research to try and limit the application of this new set of guidelines to transit -rich areas throughout the state and not have uniform application throughout the state. Unfortunately, that is not the direction this has gone, and it is something Diamond Bar needs to be aware of. He would agree that generally speaking, these types of developments that one might expect to MAY 26, 2020 PAGE 4 PLANNING COMMISSION see in this City will not prove problematic, but this marks a significant departure from how Diamond Bar has conducted business in the past. VC/Rawlings moved, C/Garg seconded, to adopt a Resolution recommending the City Council adopt the new CEQA Vehicle Miles Traveled parameters and thresholds. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Barlas, Garg, Wolfe, VC/Rawlings, Chair/Mok NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: None PUBLIC HEARING(S): None. PLANNING COMMISSION COMMENTS/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: Chair/Mok stated that as restrictions are being lifted, residents need to remain vigilant, and be safe. Be careful and remember to mask up and keep distancing when out in public. 9. STAFF COMMENTS/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: CDD/Gubman stated that the next Planning Commission meeting date is June 9th and because there are no items on that agenda, the meeting will be canceled. The June 23rd meeting is to be determined and staff will keep the Commissioners apprised thereof. While there are no other items to update Commissioners on, he noted there is a lot of interest in what the City will be doing to provide regulatory relief and financial assistance to businesses and individuals affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Over the next couple of City Council meetings, staff will be bringing forward policies and programs to ease restrictions on restaurants that need to establish temporary outdoor dining areas to compensate for the reduced occupancy limits within their restaurants. And, the City will also be temporarily lifting temporary signage restrictions for a period of 90 days. The City has received about $144,000 in CDBG funds which must be used for COVID-19 relief efforts, and staff will be presenting the City Council with options for grants/forgivable loans to businesses that can demonstrate that they have been impacted by the forced closures. In addition, the City Council will consider a rental assistance program for households that are low and moderate income for the area median income for this portion of LA County. C/Garg asked if people could visit restaurants to pick up food and eat their food at the establishment's location. CDD/Gubman responded to C/Garg that once the County gives the clearance, restaurants will be able to open indoor dining areas at substantially reduced occupancy so for that reason, there will be some criteria to MAY 26s 2020 PAGE 5 PLANNING COMMISSION allow restaurants to have outdoor dining opportunities which could include taking up parking spaces with proper protective measures so that restaurants can recoup, to the extent possible, the amount of seating they would normally have under normal circumstances. As of this time, restaurants can offer take-out only. Chair/Mok asked if allowing patrons to eat in parking areas would cause a conflict with the health department. CDD/Gubman said the establishment would have to comply with health department requirements, as well as any requirements set forth by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control which will be a condition of their approval. Chair/Mok asked if these changes would involve additional costs to the establishment and if so, who would absorb those costs. CDD/Gubman responded that staff will be recommending that the City waive all planning application fees and any associated building permit fees. However, the City has no control over inspection or permit fees issued by the County, but the hope is that they will also provide some relief to affected businesses. 10. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS: As listed in the agenda. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business before the Planning Commission, Chair/Mok adjourned the regular meeting at ir: I f p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 23ro of June, 2020. Attest: Respectfully Submitted, Digbily signed by Greg Gutman DN: C-US, Greg Gubman EBgui marmo �Nandbara.gov. D=' Ciy or Diamond Bar, m DU=Community Devel;menl DinnAor, CWGreg Gubman Dole: 2020.06.2515:51'61-07100' Greg Gubman Community Development Director