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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/12/2015 MinutesMINUTES OF THE CITY OF DIAMOND BAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MAY 12, 2015 Chairperson Ruth Low called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the City Mall Windmill Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, CA 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: 1. ROLL CALL: K KI 4. 5. 0 Vice Chairman Pirritano led the Pledge of Allegiance. Present: Commissioners Frank Farrago, Jennifer "Fred" Mahike, Bob Nishimura, Vice Chairperson Peter Pirritano and Chair Ruth Low Also present: Greg Gubman, Community Development Director; James Eggart, Assistant City Attorney; Grace Lee, Senior Planner; Natalie T. Espinoza; Assistant Planner, and Stella Marquez; Administrative Coordinator. MATTERS FROM THE AUDIENCEIPUBLIC COMMENTS: None APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As presented CONSENT CALENDAR: 4.1 Minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 14, 2015. C/Nishimura moved, ClFarago seconded, to approve the April 14, 2015, Consent Calendar as presented. Motion carried by the following Roil Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None 7. PUBLIC HEARING(S): Farago, Mahlke, Nishimura, VCIPirritano, Chair/Low None None 7.1 Tentative Tract Map No. 73201 — Planning Case No. PL2014-619 The applicant requested approval of a Tentative Tract Map to create an airspace subdivision of an existing 20,577 square foot single story- industrial ware- house building on a 1.7 gross acre lot for the purpose of creating 10 commerciallindustrial condominium units. The property is zoned Light MAY 12, 2015 PAGE 2 PLANNING COMMISSION Industry (I) with a consistent underlying General Plan land use designation of Light Industrial. PROJECT ADDRESS: PROPERTY OWNER 614-646 Brea Canyon Road Diamond Bar, CA 91789 Peichin Lee 17582 E. Rowland Street #200 City of Industry, CA 91748 APPLICANT: Preston Chen PPCN Investment, LLC 17582 E. Rowland Street #200 City of Industry, CA 91748 SP/Lee presented staffs report and recommended that the Planning Commission recommend City Council approval of Tentative Tract Map No. 73201 PL2014- 619, based on the Findings of Fact, and subject to the conditions of approval as listed in the draft resolution. C/Nishimura referred to Exhibit B indicating parking and said he noticed that on the north parcel there are two parking spaces (No. 57 and No. 58) indicated on the west side of the parcel which do not exist. SP/Lee said that C/Nishimura was correct. She stated that after the project was approved the developer looked at other better locations and the most current site plan (Attachment No. 3, Sheet AS101) reveal that the two parking spaces (No. 57 and No. 58) were relocated and constructed at a better location to the northeast. C/Nishimura said he visited the site today, and was unable to find the two spaces on the west side of the building. C/Farago asked when the Commission approved the building a couple of years back, this was the building that had the ambulance company with several fleet vehicles and were they suppose to work something out about that because it was a real issue with the neighbors that so many of the spaces were taken up by the ambulance company. SP/Lee responded that the ambulance company left the premises and now there is a restriction in the CC&R's that limits the number of commercial fleet vehicles per unit. Chair/Low said she visited the site today and saw all kinds of vehicles parked behind units J, I, H and G all along the east side of the property. In fact, when she was there a FedEx truck came by and must have believed that it was customary to double park in the fire lane which he did, and that action prevented vehicles from getting through the area. She wanted to know if anything could be done about that issue and SP/Lee responded that she visited the site during the last couple of weeks and did not notice vehicles parked next to units I, J and H 2015MAY 12, . .:COMMISSION but did notice that there were cars parked next to the two-story office building which is also a fire lane. Parking in the fire lane is not allowed and she has notified the property owner accordingly and they in turn have notified all of the owners, tenants and employees. In addition, SP/Lee notified the property owners that the vehicles would need to be towed. away because they are parking in a designated fire lane which is not allowed. C/Nishimura said it is a designated fire lane but it is not legally posted and there is no red curb with a contrasting white fire lane and there are inadequate signs posted at the entrance and along the walls. There are some faded signs along the east brick wall that shares a storage space but it is not a legal fire lane and wanted to know if the Commission could do something to get them to post it as such. SP/Lee said the Commission could add a condition to the project that would speak to C/Nishimura's concerns should it choose to do so. C/Nishimura reiterated that he was at the site today. He noticed that the two-story building to the south is only half occupied and at lunch time when people should have been at lunch there was no parking on the front lot and there were four or five cars along the north side of the building. He did not see anybody on the east side but he could see where people would double park there to make deliveries and vehicles could not get by. He wanted to know if there was a way the City could make them legally post those fire lanes at the entrance to both properties and have both properties posted. SP/Lee reiterated that it is to the Commission's discretion. Chair/Low said she believed the requirement could be added to the Conditions of Approval to accompany the motion of approval. Chair/Low asked if the agreement for shared spaces lasts into perpetuity and SP/Lee responded that the agreement will be updated and the CC&R's for the industrial warehouse building will reference the parking agreement. Chair/Low asked if it was true that the use of these condos was for storage, etc., and that the office space was very minimal or incidental and whether the City knows what businesses currently reside in the building and what businesses are contemplated for the future. SP/Lee responded that she understands the current businesses include a watch repair business, the Korean Yellow Pages, and other warehouse storage types of uses. The applicant would need to speak to information regarding applications for purchase/occupancy. One interested buyer is a tax accounting office which will limit office usage and store documents. She said she is not aware of any other potential buyers; however, uses are limited to warehouse/storage types of uses. Retail is not allowed and professional offices are not allowed. Preston Chan, applicant, thanked the Commission for considering this project and staff for assisting his firm through this process. PPCN Investment, LLC has MAY 12, 2015 PAGE 4 PLANNING COMMISSION done a number of projects in the City and he and his firm like working with the City, Commission and Council. The building will be primarily used for warehouse storage. To clarify the watch company's business, they actually manufacture the watches overseas, ship there to the states and store them on premises. Another woodworking company makes paddles for college fraternities and sororities and has a large inventory of woodworking items, etc. And of course it is up to the City whether these companies will qualify for their business licenses. Businesses are notified by PPCN at the time of purchase that if their businesses are not within the guidelines of warehouse/industrial they will need approval from the City. VCIPirritano said that usually CC&R's will stipulate what they can put in the building and what they cannot. Mr. Chan agreed and said that the CC&R's have been submitted to the City and they are still under review. VCIPirritano said he believed they have to be submitted to the state as well and Mr. Chan said he did not believe so. CC&R's go to the City's Attorney for review and recommendations. Mr. Chan further explained that certain uses are limited in the CC&R's but they are unable to capture everything in the document. VCIPirritano said the City did not want a fireworks manufacturer in the building. Chair/Low said she did not want fireworks to be stored in the building. Mr. Chan said that is up to the discretion of the City. VCIPirritano said he would be interested in looking at the CC&R's. SP/Lee referred the Commission to the draft Resolution which includes conditions from the County Fire Department with regard to having the unobstructed space in the fire lanes so the applicant will be required to comply with the fire department's conditions. Chair/Low asked if the Commission's proposed amendment would then be redundant and C/Nishimura said he believed the amendment he would want to request would require signage so that enforcement could be done. Without the signs and proper lane markings the property owner cannot cite or tow. SP/Lee said that staff would recommend the Commission add a condition that states "the fire lanes shall be designated with pavement markings and signage to enable enforcement subject to the LA County Fire Department and Sheriff's Department." C/Farago asked if the association was responsible for both the exterior and interior or is the unit owner responsible for their own interiors and SP/Lee responded that the association is responsible for the electrical room and exterior only. Chair/Low opened the public hearing. With no one present who wished to speak on this matter, Chair/Low closed the public hearing. MAY 12, 2015 PAGE 5 PLANNING COMMISSION 0 0 C/Nishimura moved, VCIPirritano seconded, to recommend City Council approval of Tentative Tract Map No. 73201 — Planning Case No. PL2014-619 as amended with the addition of the following Condition of Approval to the Resolution: "The fire lanes shall be designated with pavement markings and signage to enable enforcement, subject to the LA County Fire Department and LA County Sheriff's Department.91 Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: Farago, Mahlke, Nishimura, VCIPirritano, Chair/Low None None PLANNING COMMISSIONER COMMENTS/INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: ClFarago said he has been driving by the corner of Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue and noticed that it is looking pretty abandoned and unmaintained. He asked if there had been any complaints and whether the City could do anything about the matter. CDDIGubman said he is not aware that the Code Enforcement Officer has received any complaints but with the information provided by ClFarago the Code Enforcement Officer will be asked to look into the matter at the start of the next business day. Chair/Low asked what was happening with the shopping center across from Lorbeer Middle School and CDDIGubman responded that the shopping center was purchased by the owner of the land upon which sits the vacant Kmart building and he is looking into long-range plans of assembling parcels to connect the Kmart property with that site to potentially establish a more comprehensive redevelopment plan for the area. Nothing is happening at this time with regarding to redevelopment of the site. Chair/Low asked if staff had an opening date for the Walmart Market and CDDIGubman responded that July 1 is the targeted opening date for the market. STAFF COMMENTSIINFORMATIONAL ITEMS: 9.1 Public Hearing dates for future projects. CDDIGubman stated that the next Planning Commission meeting is scheduled for May 26 and there is one item on the agenda which is an addition to a residence at 2657 Crooked Creek. The application for this project was deemed complete this week and staff has been able to submit the Public Hearing Notice as required. CDDIGubman further stated that the Fiscal Year 2015-16 Budget was approved by the City Council on May 5 along with the Capital Improvement Program the Commission found to be in conformance with the City's General Plan. The MAY 12, 2015 PAGE 6 PLANNING COMMISSION budget is balanced and the Capital Improvement Plan that was adopted is the largest CIP for one year in the City's history at $20 million. There are a number of public improvements slated. The City Council established a Special Fund for the Comprehensive General Plan Update and seeded that fund with additional monies in this budget. The workload in the Planning Division at this time is going to be able to accommodate staff's ability to prepare an RFP to get a consultant on board to begin the two to three year process for the update. The entire Planning Commission will have the opportunity to participate in public meetings and public hearings and in addition, there will be community design charrettes, workshops, etc., on the weekends and all of the components will be better defined once the RFP is sent out and the City begins receiving ideas from consultants. The City is close to embarking on this very significant process on the heels of the City's first and current General Plan's 201h year of existence. Chair/Low said she noticed that the development on Diamond Bar Boulevard and Brea Canyon Road is moving forward. CDD/Gubman said the City continues to issue permits and just issued permits for Phase 1V of the development. To date, more than 100 of 182 total building permits have been issued and the project will be completed before the end of 2016. The park component has lagged a bit behind the home construction, which is due largely to approvals that are needed from the LA County Public Works Department. Staff expects to see the approvals finalized and the easements recorded so that the developer can move forward to complete improvements such as installing the footbridge that will connect parts of the park that are separated by the channel and the landscape improvements. Much of the prep work for the park has been completed and it is expected that the park will suddenly take shape and be in a turnkey condition to transfer to the City about the time the new homes begin to be occupied. Chair/Low said that in the news this week was an article about a parcel of land between Diamond Bar and Chino Hills (Tres Hermanos). She asked if the City of Diamond Bar had any interest or influence over the parcel. CDDIGubman responded that the City of Diamond Bar holds the land use authority through its zoning powers to control the destiny of that site. 700 acres lies within Diamond Bar alone and the entirety of Tres Hermanos is about 2400 acres. The other 1700 acres are located in the City of Chino Hills. Presumably a developer will purchase the land and have an interest in master planning it. It will definitely be a controversial project which is to be expected 700 acres alone of undeveloped scenic land being considered for development will generate significant controversy and the City will have the powerto control what is ultimately approved and the land use plan will be shaped by the public process and the Environmental Impact process that will need to take place. While it will be an exciting process, it will be arduous and one in which the City expects input from not only Diamond Bar residents but Pomona and Chino Hills as well. ► 12,2015 PAGE 7 PLANNING COMMISSION C/Mahlke said she noticed the City Council meeting date was incorrect on the agenda and she did not want to miss the T -Mobile discussion. CDDIGubman stated that the item is slated for the June 2 City Council meeting. Chair/Low thanked staff for the reports and minutes. 10. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE EVENTS: As listed in tonight's agenda. ADJOURNMENT: With no further business before the Planning Commission, Chair/Low adjourned the regular meeting at 7:35 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this 26th day of May, 2015. Attest: Respectfully Submitted, Greg Gubman Community Development Director Ruth Low, Chairperson