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HomeMy WebLinkAboutpcm_09262012 1 UKIAH PLANNING COMMISSION 2 September 26, 2012 3 Minutes 4 5 6 COMMISSIONERS PRESENT COMMISSIONERS ABSENT 7 Judy Pruden, Chair 8 Kevin Doble 9 Linda Sanders 10 Jason Brenner 11 Mike Whetzel 12 13 STAFF PRESENT OTHERS PRESENT 14 Kim Jordan, Senior Planner Listed below, Respectively 15 Cathy Elawadly, Recording Secretary 16 17 1. CALL TO ORDER 18 The regular meeting of the City of Ukiah Planning Commission was called to order by 19 Chair Pruden at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Avenue, 20 Ukiah, California. 21 22 2. ROLL CALL 23 24 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE - Everyone cited. 25 26 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES — The minutes from the August 8, 2012 are included for review and 27 approval. 28 29 The following revisions were made to the minutes: 30 31 Page 3, line 45, to read, '82.5% of the people surveyed by Ukiah Main Street Program supported the 32 Exemptions made for ice cream parlors, coffeehouses, and hot dog stands in the DZC related to formula 33 fast food restaurants.' 34 35 Page 6, line 8, corrected spelling of Commissioner poble. 36 37 M/S Sanders/Whetzel to approve Planning Commission minutes of August 8, 2012, as amended. Motion 38 carried (5-0). 39 40 5. COMMENTS FROM AUDIENCE ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS 41 42 6. APPEAL PROCESS—There are no appealable items on this agenda. 43 44 7. SITE VISIT VERIFICATION - N/A 45 46 8. VERIFICATION OF NOTICE- N/A 47 48 9. NEW BUSINESS 49 9A. Talmage Road Multi-Family Residential Project (File No: 12-16-PRE-PC-DRB): Planning 50 Commission pre-application review of a multi-family residential development at 582 Talmage 51 road, APN 003-160-57. 52 53 Senior Planner Jordan presented the Project. 54 55 Commissioner poble: MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION September 26, 2012 Page 1 1 • Would like to see a comprehensive drainage plan that provides for some Low Impact 2 Development(LID) standards when the project is reviewed by the Commission for approval of the 3 Major Site Development Permit. 4 • Would be beneficial to have the base flood elevation plotted on the drainage plan so the 5 Commission has an idea how the applicant will handle flood proofing and drainage because this 6 matter could come up during discussion of the Site Development Permit. 7 • The site is located in the Flood Plain where a portion of the subject property that abuts Doolin 8 Creek is located in the Floodway so there may be discussion or concerns raised by residents 9 about flooding in the area. To this end, enough information/detail should be given to the 10 Commission about the project as it relates to. flooding and drainage to make certain adequate 11 measures are being taken to meet flood standards. 12 • The sidewalk does not continue up the street to the edge of the property and stops short of the 13 property line. Questioned whether it is possible to design a sidewalk on the right-of-way line that 14 works with the existing driveway that comes off of the existing residences. Is of the opinion it 15 would be good to have some connectivity at this location. This project is an opportunity for the 16 sidewalk to be put in place. 17 • Did notice there is a residence farther up the street that does have sidewalk, curb and gutter. It 18 would be beneficial to have pedestrian access out to Tamage Road and to the nearby shopping 19 center. Would appreciate determining whether it is feasible in the revised plan to provide for a 20 continuity of pedestrian access at least to the property line. This would be consistent with general 21 Plan goals/policies to provide for pedestrian access/connections. 22 23 Commissioner Sanders: 24 • There is a lot of asphalt. The front entrance could be where the garages are located and place 25 the garages in the rear of the site. 26 • Not all of the tenants will be in their cars all the time. They will be walking to Redwood Business 27 Park and/or other areas of the neighborhood. Reversing the plans would allow for more of a 28 natural flow and provide more space. 29 • Likes the design of the building. 30 • Will there be access to Doolin Creek for the residents or public? 31 • As part of a formal application, provide more information/details on the access to the creek for 32 residents and the public. 33 • Would like to know what is planned for the `Open Space Recreational Area.' Will there be access 34 to Doolin Creek which is located on the north end of the site? Will this be space for the residents 35 to walk around on?Will it remain natural? 36 • Would the City have access to Doolin Creek in the event work needs to be done for channel 37 clearance and/or other type of maintenance? Would there be some sort of an easement to allow 38 access? How would this work? 39 40 Commissioner Brenner: 41 • Likes Commissioner Sander's idea for flipping the location of the garage and providing a walkway 42 and entry at the front of the units. Could really enhance this area and make it more usable for 43 residents. Balcony area more usable with the "flipped" garage/entry" idea. Turning the units 44 around would provide for more of a community space. 45 • Would activate the center space between the units as shown on the site plans for use as more of 46 a public area and with reversing the floor area makes the site more people friendly rather than car 47 friendly. Could provide design examples if the applicant is amenable to reversing the plans. 48 Again, in this way underutilized space would be activated and used. 49 • The concept of putting tenant parking in the rear of the site is a commonly used design allowing 50 for a separate front and back entrance. As it is now, the site has a lot of`dead zones' behind the 51 units that is essentially underutilized space. 52 • The sidewalk should be connected to the units to provide a pedestrian connection to each unit. 53 • Questioned the need for fenced 6ft. outdoor storage areas located on the side of each unit. 54 There may be some alternative solution for the fenced storage areas that would be more viable MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION September 26, 2012 Page 2 1 because eventually these areas will likely become an eyesore and this is a concern since they 2 are visible form a City gateway. 3 • While the project could provide for more density, is fine with the number of units proposed. 4 • Like the colors and materials. 5 • This is a gateway project. Could continue the vegetative screen that is located to the north. 6 • It is important with the project being located in the gateway that it be viewed as sustainable and 7 open to new ideas that can benefit the community. The project has many amenities including 8 garden space and access to Doolin Creek that provides for a quality project. It is the type of 9 project that could be featured on a brochure giving credit to a property owner for a project well 10 done. 11 • Would like to see street trees planted close to the sidewalk. It would be great if more trees could 12 be added for the site. 13 14 Clay Johnson: 15 • The sidewalk would basically extend to the right-of-way and curb and proceed westerly until the 16 front ends. This aspect of the project has not been considered and this is probably the 17 appropriate time. 18 • The fenced storage area would be for the tenant's use to store personal items, such as bicycles 19 and/or items of value that would not be housed in the residential units. 20 • Likes the idea of "flipping" the plan. The idea of reversing the plans so that the garages are 21 located to the rear of the property is an interesting concept that also speaks to the earlier 22 comments about the need for sidewalk connectivity. With the concept of reversing the floor plan 23 to place the garages in the rear of the site, there still must be enough driveway (asphalt) to 24 connect the garages to the street. Is concerned people may get confused about which end is the 25 front of the building. 26 • The way the site is designed so people must park their cars in the garage. The area in front of the 27 garages was allows enough room for backup but not for parking in front of the garages. 28 • The space at the rear of the apartments was envisioned as open space. 29 • It may be appropriate in terms of security measures to have balconies overlooking the driveway 30 street. 31 32 Chair Pruden: 33 • Agrees the fenced-in storage areas serve no purpose. The units have a two-car garage where 34 tenants can effectively store things. 35 • On the front elevation, the door that is offset to the center of the porch and accompanying side 36 light is odd. Suggests replacing this with a door design that has a window already in it. This will 37 provide light to the stairwell and would be more aesthetically pleasing. 38 • Based on the size of the units, this is not a family complex so do not need to focus on providing 39 amenities for kids. 40 • Community gardens are common in Ukiah. There is an opportunity to provide a community 41 garden in the Floodway located at the north end of the site. 42 • It appears that the material for the ground floor is masonry. This was likely selected due to 43 address any flood damage concerns. 44 • Understands the units will be market rate and not subsidized. 45 • Ukiah has a very active community garden organization and there are many such gardens in 46 town. While the project site is located in the Flood Plain, the tenants may desire to have a 47 community garden. With the owner's permission it may be possible to have a community garden 48 on the northern portion of the property since there is a lot of open space. 49 • Likes that the units are second story and with the type of materials being proposed for use, if 50 flooding did occur there would be no damage to the upper level. 51 • Understands that none of the units will be handicap accessible, noting it would not likely be cost 52 effective. 53 • Concerned about refuse collection. Need to make sure that the service provide can access the 54 totes. Need to know if each unit would have their own and where they would be located. MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION September 26, 2012 Page 3 1 • Location of the trees shown on the site plan appears to be random. Recommend planting trees 2 at the east and west ends of the buildings to provide shading and screening and planting 3 redwood trees along Highway 101. Redwood tree are fast growing and would provide screening 4 and noise attenuation. 5 • Likes the color scheme, the balcony design which appears to be cantilevered over the garage. 6 • Trash pick-up will have to be worked out. 7 • Understands the frontage road is privately owned and will be maintained by the property owner 8 and questioned if street trees are required on private roads? 9 • Understands it is unlikely there are no plans for an on-site manager unit. The property owner is 10 highly regarded for his nice job with managing his properties. Does not want to see the 11 site/complex become unsightly. Having an on-site manager to address such issues would be 12 beneficial. 13 • Is concerned about too many cars on the site. 14 • The site plans does not show an area for mailboxes and assumes the Post Office will require the 15 use of a central mailbox set up. 16 17 Commissioner Whetzel: 18 • It is possible to put a couple of refuge dumpsters on the end of each unit driveway for the 19 garbage trucks to pick up the recycling items and refuge. Recommends the applicant consult 20 with the City's garbage company about a solution. 21 • Based on the size of the units, tenants are likely to be single people or young couples. 22 23 Commissioner poble: 24 • Would like to see a fencing plan. 25 • Would prefer that the Project did not include the fenced in storage area. 26 • The Flood Plain and floodway area appears to be plotted on the FEMA map by way of a general 27 line. When the project comes back for formal approval would like these areas be more clearly 28 defined by possibly securing information from a FEMA study and/or other documentation 29 concerning the Flood Zone in this area and plotting the actual limits of the Flood Zone. This could 30 affect how the site lays out with it being located in the Flood Plain and floodway for poolin Creek. 31 • If a community garden is a possibility try to do it without fencing or at least minimal fencing. 32 33 Clay Johnson: 34 • Has not thought through how the refuge pick-up will occur. Assumes tenants will bring their cans 35 curb-side. 36 • Confirmed a landscaping service will provide maintenance. 37 • The door with window at the entry provides entry for both units to the garage and to the stairway 38 which provides access to the individual units. If the door was centered then one resident would 39 have to walk around to the end of the door to access the stairwell. 40 • Generally speaking, the intent of the "Open Space Recreational Area" is to utilize the space to 41 serve the residents of the project. Picnic tables could be provided, possibly include a bocce ball 42 court and/or other amenities for low impact uses. The community garden proposal is a very good 43 idea. Playground equipment would not be part of the program since the project is not particularly 44 family-oriented. 45 • The electric utilities will be undergrounded. 46 • The rear yards would be"open space"with no patio and would be accessed via the back door. 47 • There would most likely be one location for all of the mailboxes. 48 49 Applicant Team: 50 • Generally, the high water mark of most streams and channels are accessible to the public. It 51 could be the City Public Works Department may require some sort of a drainage easement. Being 52 located in the Floodway essentially preserves the area to access by the City. It is likely in order to 53 be accommodating in this regard, somewhere at the end of the private road some type of 54 requirements would have to be made so that cars would not block the access if there was a need. 55 As the project is developed more intently, additional details will be known about the drainage in MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION September 26, 2012 Page 4 1 connection with the private road and access to the stream. Without out this detail access to the 2 creek is not readily known at this point. Being that the project is located in the Flood Plain and 3 Floodway of the creek that abuts the property, no fill will be allowed. 4 • Limited in what can be located in the Floodway. Even a bocce court or raised beds of some sort 5 would be considered an impediment to that floodway and likely prohibited. The site is suited for 6 low impact use where the grade would be left in `as is' condition. 7 8 Commission: 9 • As part of a formal application provide a fencing plan, work-out and provide details on garbage 10 collection, location of mailboxes. 11 • Prefer that the Project did not include the fenced storage areas since they could be used in a way 12 that was unsightly. May not be very attractive as viewed from a City gateway. 13 • Garbage/recycling/yard waste could be kept next to the garage that is covered by the second 14 story cantilever which appears to be wide enough to provide adequate cover. 15 • Consider the possibility of a community garden. 16 • As part of the formal application, consider continuing the sidewalk that as currently shown stops 17 short of the west/north property lines. 18 • Like the colors and materials proposed. 19 • Looking forward to reviewing the project in its final form. 20 • Would like the minutes from this meeting to go to the Design Review Board for their information 21 provided they have been completed. 22 23 Richard McCormick, 600 Talmage Road: 24 • There are problems with traffic on Talmage Road. It is hard to get onto Airport Park Blvd. from 25 Lorraine Street. Signal timing is bad. Light is only green for 12 seconds so very few cars get 26 through the intersection. 27 • Potential traffic issues are the only concerns with the Project. Project may provide an opportunity 28 to correct some of the problem. 29 30 Chair Pruden: Contact the City Traffic Engineering Committee which is overseen by the Public Works 31 Department. The TEC could hear his concern about the timing of the light at the intersection. 32 33 Alan Nicholson: Inquired as to the "roof structure between the duplexes." 34 35 Clay Johnson: Clarified that this is a fenced storage area that will be revisited based on the comments 36 from the Planning Commission. 37 38 10. PLANNING DIRECTOR'S REPORT 39 • There was discussion about the most effective way to get Planning Commission packets to the 40 Commissioners since some of the Commissioners are not getting them on time from the mail 41 system. 42 • At this time, there are no items ready for the October 10t" meeting. 43 44 11. PLANNING COMMISSIONERS' REPORT 45 Chair Pruden would like to discuss the holiday calendar for November and December the next Planning 46 Commission meeting. 47 48 Commissioner Sanders: Inquired about the General Plan consistency discussion City Council will have 49 and when this will occur. 50 51 Staff: It is likely a special meeting will be calendared possibly for the week of October 15. Will notify the 52 Commissioners when the date and location are confirmed. 53 54 Commissioner Sanders: Commented on the successful cleanup of Orr Creek and the large amount of 55 debris that was removed. She was pleased with the turnout of volunteers who participated in the cleanup. MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION September 26, 2012 Page 5 1 Commissioner poble: Last night attended a meeting put on by Visit Ukiah task force. Discussed why 2 people should visit and enjoy Ukiah. The event prompted him to remember why people live in Ukiah and 3 the positive things the community and County has to offer. 4 5 There was general discussion about the McDonald's project with regard to the construction progress 6 being made, overall design and site layout. 7 8 12. ADJOURNMENT 9 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:23 p.m. 10 11 12 Cathy Elawadly, Recording Secretary 13 MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION September 26, 2012 Page 6