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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4. PC Draft Minutes - 02-15-17 DRAFT MINUTES REGULAR MEETING DOWNEY CITY PLANNING COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017 CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER, 11111 BROOKSHIRE AVENUE DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA 6:30 P.M. Chairman Flores called the February 15, 2017, Regular Meeting of the Planning Commission to order at 6:34 p.m., at Downey City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Avenue, Downey, CA. After the flag salute, Secretary Cavanagh called roll. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Jim Rodríguez, District 5, Chairman Miguel Duarte, District 1 Patrick Owens, District 2, Vice Chairman Steven Dominguez, District 3 Matias Flores, District 4 COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: None. OTHERS PRESENT: Aldo E. Schindler, Director of Community Development Yvette Abich Garcia, City Attorney Edwin Norris, Deputy Director of Public Works William E. Davis, City Planner Brian Baker, Lieutenant Downey Police Department Vincent Rosario, Sergeant Downey Police Department David Blumenthal, Principal Planner Guillermo Arreola, Senior Planner Kevin Nguyen, Assistant Planner Mary Cavanagh, Secretary PLANNING COMMISSIONER ANNOUNCEMENTS; REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS; AND CONFERENCE/MEETING REPORTS: None. PRESENTATIONS: 1. Resolution of Appreciation for Louis Morales Former Commissioner Louis Morales was unable to attend the meeting; therefore, no action was taken. 2. Resolution of Appreciation for Hector Lujan The Commissioners expressed their appreciation for Commissioner Lujan’s six years of service on the Planning Commission and commented on him being supportive and honorable throughout his term. Chairman Rodriguez presented Mr. Lujan with a Resolution of Appreciation. Mr. Lujan thanked the Commissioners and staff for their kind words and hard work. 3. Downtown Parking Study- Dixon Resources Unlimited Director of Community Development Aldo Schindler discussed the steps that led to implementing the Downtown Parking Study and introduced Julie Dixon to present the Planning Commission with the draft findings of the study. Planning Commission Minutes February 15, 2017 - 2 - Julie Dixon, President, Dixon Resources Unlimited, together with Senior Associate Patrick Smith, gave a PowerPoint presentation of the findings of the Stakeholder meetings and Downtown Subcommittee meetings regarding the Downtown Parking Study. The Commissioners discussed parking strategies, wayfinding signs, possible improvements to the current parking structure, and utilizing the Downey brand to identify public parking with Ms. Dixon. Commissioner Flores entered the chambers at 7:20 p.m. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA: None. REPORT ON CITY COUNCIL: Director of Community Development Aldo Schindler reported the City Council approved the Community Development Block Grant and Home Program (CDGB). Staff will return to the City Council in May with suggested recommendations for funding. Chairman Rodriguez recognized the City of Downey’s Mayor Fernando Vasquez and former Planning Commissioner Robert Kiefer in the audience, along with the City of Bellflower’s Planning Commissioner Ray Hamada, and the family and friends of Chairman Rodriguez. PUBLIC HEARINGS: 4. PLN-16-00304 (Conditional Use Permit): Chairman Rodriguez opened the public hearing for PLN-16-00304 and Ms. Cavanagh affirmed proof of publication. Director of Community Development Schindler advised the Commission of the applicant’s request to continue the public hearing to the March 1, 2017 meeting. It was moved by Chairman Rodriguez, seconded by Commissioner Dominguez and passed by a 4-1 vote, with Commissioner Flores abstaining. 5. PLN-16-00175 (Mitigated Negative Declaration, Specific Plan Amendment, Lot Merger, Site Plan Review and Conditional Use Permit): Chairman Rodriguez opened the public hearing for PLN-16-00175 and Ms. Cavanagh affirmed proof of publication. Director of Community Development Schindler gave a brief history of the six years in working to develop the site. Senior Planner Guillermo Arreola presented the request to construct an 88,550 square foot, 60-foot high; 140-room Marriot Springhill Suites Hotel, with ancillary sale of alcohol, on property located at 9062-9066 Firestone Boulevard and zoned Lakewood/Firestone Specific Plan (SP 91-2). Mr. Arreola reviewed the subject site and its surroundings and discussed the construction of the hotel including the proposed: • Site Plan Review of the proposed: building design, site layout, floor plan, building height and design, architectural design, and improvements; • Lot Merger to consolidate two lots into one lot; • Parking standards and on-site parking requirements for a new hotel; • Ancillary sales of alcohol in conjunction with a hotel and (ABC) Alcoholic Beverage Control regulations; • Hotel amenities: 140 Suites, 3,000 sf conference/banquet room, 1,770 sf of bar/ lounge areas, Fitness Room, Buffet, Pool, Small retail store/market toiletries, including the sale of beer and wine- (market is for hotel guest only); • Elevations, conceptual landscape plan and lighting; • Mitigated Negative Declaration/traffic study. Planning Commission Minutes February 15, 2017 - 3 - Senior Planner Guillermo Arreola advised the Commissioners, staff received written correspondence from the following: – Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians – Kizh Nation – Tongva Ancestral Territorial Tribal Nation The Commissioners discussed all aspects of the project with staff, expressing concerns regarding off-site consumption of alcohol resulting from possible sales generated by the hotel’s mini-market; the left turn egress and ingress; Parking: examples of full room occupancy coinciding with conferences or events occurring during peak hours and the added traffic from the neighboring Dunkin Donuts, employee parking and options for applicant to buy additional parking from adjacent businesses. Senior Planner Guillermo Arreola reviewed the ABC regulations pertaining to the mini-market and explained the mini-market is for hotel guests only, not for the public. He then directed the concerns regarding the egress and ingress to the Deputy Director of Public Works. Deputy Director of Public Works Edwin Norris reviewed his study of the ingress and egress and stated he finds it to be adequate and sufficient and introduced Keith Rutherford, the consultant who prepared the traffic study for the environmental document, which a summary of the report was included in the Mitigated Negative Declaration. Keith Rutherford, Traffic Consultant, Stantec Consulting Services, reviewed the results of the traffic study with the Commissioners. The discussion included the number of vehicles per hour during peak hours; the total volume of cars traveling on Firestone Blvd. with estimations calculated for this use (hotel); and similar concerns that were previously discussed with staff. Chairman Rodriguez called for Disclosures: Commissioner Duarte disclosed he met with Chairman Rodriguez about the project and did an onsite inspection on his own today between 11:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. Commissioner Flores disclosed he intended to meet with Commissioner Dominguez, but was unable to; he said he did visit the site mid-day yesterday for approximately 15 minutes. Vice Chairman Owens disclosed he had a brief discussion with Commissioner Dominguez about the project and both agreed that there were some aspects that needed to be addressed and so they vetted. Commissioner Dominguez disclosed that he visited the site on February 12, 2017 from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. to observe the parameters and the vehicular traffic with the ingress and egress; there was no conversation with staff. Chairman Rodriguez disclosed he met with family, friends and constituents in the area and was very careful to advise them that he was completely neutral and present to listen to their concerns and forward the information. Chairman Rodriguez named the following people and comments/discussions: Ray Smith, Friend and Downey Resident George Menzenia, Videographic Artist Willie Gutierrez, School Board Member Ray Hamada, City of Bellflower Planning Commissioner David Hurcheson, retired Metro Public Relations Manager Lunch discussion with Councilman Alex Saab today Over the counter discussion Principal Planner David Blumenthal and Senior Planner Guillermo Arreola Discussion with Commissioner Duarte a couple of days ago Planning Commission Minutes February 15, 2017 - 4 - Voicemail conversations with Senior Planner Elaine Thienprasiddhi, City of Anaheim, regarding on-site parking restrictions for the recently constructed Springhill Marriott hotel on Ball Road; the hotel has 120 rooms, a 975 sq. ft. meeting room, 20 staff members and 110 parking spaces. Sally Hazur, Head of SEAACA, this morning at Kiwanis meeting shared her experience living next door to Doubletree Hotel whereas patrons would drive separate cars and share one room, causing her to be concerned about parking. Roy Beard, Kiwanis member, also this morning expressed concerns regarding parking. Chairman Rodriguez stated he contacted the Springhill in Anaheim Hotel (Anaheim Maingate) and spoke to Ryan, who confirmed the meeting room size of 975 sq. ft. with a capacity of 38 people, and regulated parking with a $14 charge for overnight guests only. Chairman Rodriguez disclosed he visited the site for one hour on Saturday. Chairman Rodriguez read the notes he had taken from his meeting with the people he listed above as follows: Concerns were presented regarding bright lights and HD cameras in the back side of the building. What happens if the franchise fails to meet franchise standards? Can the hotel revert to a non-Marriot hotel? Under what conditions can it convert to a non-Marriot or change brands? What conditions or control does the City have over that? Most hotels have a grand display with at least three flags, will they have that here and if so, where? What is the Transient occupancy tax for the hotel, how much of it goes to the City and what percentage of it goes to L.A. County. Where are the drawings that show the Marriot line of site from the street? Chairman Rodriguez said the concern was can the Marriot be seen over Fallas Paredes or the Dunkin Donuts, do they block it? There was a question about railroad noise and more specifically the vibration; are there specific techniques employed to handle building vibration rather than just the window type? There were comments regarding the architecture: It looks too institutional, it’s not contemporary, not enough articulation and it lacks dimension. There is also a comment about the front main area in terms of it appearing narrow, with the building set very far back it was felt that a signature or a “wow” factor needs to be very present. There were issues about the landscape area being setback ten feet, issues with the egress and ingress and the left turn pocket lane discussed earlier. The big blank wall that exists at Fallas Paredes was brought up by one individual, David suggesting that there be a Community Advisory Group, and that committee be put together and do some type of a mural for that wall. Chairman Rodriguez said he also believed it was part of the staff report and conditions of approval, to which Senior Planner Arreola stated there is a condition of approval requiring the applicant to paint the wall with the permission of the building owner; if the permission is not granted, the condition goes away. Chairman Rodriguez continued and said there was also mention of more community outreach with the suggested individuals to be part of that community outreach to deal with the unsightly walls, and mentioned Val Flores, Don Lamkin and George Manzenia. Other suggestions were to possibly take out some of the middle median lane to handle the left hand turn lanes so there will be a longer queue. There were comments about the walkway; the sidewalk from Firestone to the site should be line with palm trees that are close together at the same distance that was exists right out front at the median to create consistency and high design appeal with very well up-lit palm trees to create a safe inviting corridor. Concern about the size of conference room and number of parking spaces felt to them, inadequate. Applicant Dev Patel, 9905 Casanes Avenue, gave a PowerPoint presentation of the family owned business Kamla Hotels, reviewing 12 of the Marriot brands of their existing hotels, explaining the differences between each, varying from economy and up to luxury hotels. Tom Bergerson, Principal Architect, Architects Orange, 144 N. Orange St., gave a brief overview of the company, design and management of the hotels. He discussed the difficulty in developing the site due to reviewed the surroundings, floor plans, amenities, architectural design, lighting, examples of signage and Planning Commission Minutes February 15, 2017 - 5 - addressed issues presented by the Commissioners and the correspondences. The applicant is requesting the removal of Condition No. #31 describing it as a liability issue. City Attorney Yvette Abich Garcia gave the Commissioners direction regarding the parking requirements. The Commissioners discussed windows, acoustical requirements lighting designs, included landscape architecture, options for signage, graffiti removal, the number of employees, ABC regulations pertaining to the mini-market, to which Mr. Bergerson reiterated the mini-market is for hotel guests only and controlled by the front desk. Chairman Rodriguez called for correspondence: Staff replied there has received no other correspondence than that of the Tribes mentioned previously. Public Comments: Armando Herman spoke in favor of the project. Staff gave recommendation to adopt two resolutions of approval to 1) recommend approval of the Mitigated Negative Declaration, and a Specific Plan Amendment, and 2) a Lot Merger and Conditional Use Permit. Chairman Rodriguez closed the public hearing. The Commissioners discussed options for off-site parking agreements; alcohol sales and restrictions; graffiti removal; abatement during the construction of the hotel; the conditions addressing the street cleaning during constructions; valet parking options; lighting (foot candles) and safety concerns regarding possible loitering. The Commissioners unanimously agreed to the following modifications to the conditions of approval; the remaining conditions will be renumbered accordingly. Condition No. 2.a. shall be modified to include following language: 2. Additional Standard for Site 15 a. Any parcel map concerning Site 15 must show an irrevocable Offer Dedication along Lakewood Boulevard and Firestone Boulevard for future roadway expansion to identified standards for right-of-way widths, as described in Section V of this specific plan. It was moved by Commissioner Flores, seconded by Vice Chairman Owens, and passed by a 5-0 vote to adopt Resolution 17-3016, with correction to Condition 2.a., thereby recommending the City Council approve the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Specific Plan Amendment. The Commissioners unanimously agreed to the following modifications to the conditions of approval; the remaining conditions will be renumbered accordingly. Add the following language to Condition No(s). 6 and 14 as follows: 6. All exterior lights on the property shall be LED and shall be directed, positioned, and/or shielded such that they do not illuminate surrounding properties and the public right-of-way. The site shall maintain a minimum four (4) foot candles across the entire site. 14. All bollards on the site shall be decorative and match the architectural style of the building. The City Planner shall review and approve the final wall bollard design prior to installation. Condition No. 31 Shall be the deleted and the remaining conditions will be renumbered accordingly. Planning Commission Minutes February 15, 2017 - 6 - It was moved by Chairman Rodriguez, seconded by Commissioner Duarte, and passed by a 5-0 vote to adopt Resolution 17-3017, thereby approving the Lot Merger, Site Plan Review and Conditional Use Permit, with modified conditions of approval as stated. NON-AGENDA PUBLIC COMMENTS: Armando Herman spoke against the undeveloped portions of the Promenade Mall. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: It was moved by Commissioner Dominguez and seconded by Vice Chairman Owens to pull Items six and seven of the Consent Calendar for discussion. 7. PLN-16-00114 (8323 Firestone Blvd) Hookah Hub- Six Month Review: Director of Community Development Schindler gave a brief report of the Hookah Hub-Six Month Review: Memo staff to PC Hookah rec’d a CUP on August 17, 2016 with a condition of approval that a report would come back to the Planning Commission based on their operations; Exhibit A is a report of the Police calls for service to date. Staff’s opinion: The activities listed do not warrant any extraordinary actions on staff’s behalf. We will work continuously with the Downey Police Department and if necessary Code Enforcement, to make sure that they comply with their conditions of approval. Commissioner Dominguez made inquiries regarding the infractions listed in the Police Incident Report, to which Sergeant Vincent Rosario reviewed each of the incidents /calls for service and explained their meanings and the types of calls that would generate a Police Report. Public Comments: Mr. Herman commented on police, alcohol and tobacco consumption and businesses. It was moved by Chairman Rodriguez, seconded by Commissioner Flores and passed by 4-1 vote with Commissioner Dominguez voting no, to Receive & File (PLN-16-00114) Hookah Hub- Six Month Review. 8. Approval of the Minutes from February 1, 2017 Commissioner Dominguez stated the February 1, 2017 Minutes do not reflect the discussion on the radial curbs along with the transition zones mentioned at the angles and should be reflected in Condition No. 18, which the applicant had agreed to during the meeting. Condition No. 19 should reflect 2.0 foot-candles, which were also agreed to by the applicant and read into record incorrectly as 1.0, which was less than the photometric study; the intent was to increase from 1.5 to 2.0. It was moved by Chairman Rodriguez, seconded by Commissioner Flores, and passed by a 5-0 vote to continue Item No. 7 of the Consent Calendar to a date uncertain to allow staff time to make the corrections to the Minutes from February 1, 2017. OTHER BUSINESS: Chairman Rodriguez asked staff for an update on development for the Promenade at Downey. Director of Community Development Schindler gave a brief history of the purchase, sale, lease and delay in developing the remaining 20 acres referred to as the “back 20”. The property is currently being leased by the Promenade owners, however, at this time; there are only mental concepts for development to expand the Kaiser Campus, or some other uses; but, no pen to paper in terms of uses for that site. STAFF MEMBER COMMENTS: Director of Community Development reminded the Commissioners to complete their 700 forms and submit them as soon as possible. Planning Commission Minutes February 15, 2017 - 7 - ADJOURNMENT: Chairman Rodriguez adjourned the meeting at 11:14 p.m., to Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at 6:30p.m. at Downey City Hall, 11111 Brookshire Ave. APPROVED AND ADOPTED this 19th day of April 2017. Jim Rodriguez, Chairman City Planning Commission I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Minutes were duly approved at a Regular meeting of the Planning Commission held on the 19th day of April by the following vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: ABSTAIN: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: Mary Cavanagh, Secretary City Planning Commission