Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Um, pause please. That's not possible. All right. Like to call this meeting to order. Uh, this is the regular meeting of the Balden Park Planning Commission. Sorry, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. I'd like to call this meeting to order. This is the regular meeting of the Balden Park Planning Commission for June June 25th, 2025 at 7 p.m. Um, if you're able to please stand uh for the flag salute of your heart begin to the flag, United States of America, republic for which it stands, one nation under God, visible for all. Great. Thank you. Uh, planning secretary, will you please um call role? Yes. Thank you. Um, Chair Pñena, present. Vice Chair Gonzalez, present. Commissioner Escobosa, here. Commissioner Rodriguez, here. Commissioner Miranda Dib, let the record show that she's absent. Thank you. And can I have an a motion to excuse her? A motion to excuse Commissioner Miranda Dzip. I second. Roll call, please. Chair Pñena, yes. Vice Chair Gonzalez, yes. Commissioner Escobosa, yes. Commissioner Rodriguez, yes. Motion carries. Thank you. I uh now declare verbal communications open. Anyone wishing to address the commission on any other any other than the items listed on the agenda may come to the podium. Um we will be restricting your comments uh to three minutes. Do we have any calling

cards or any cards? None speaker cards. Okay. Seeing no further interest, I'd now declare verbal communications closed. The loan item on the consent calendar is the meeting minutes from the previous planning commission meeting. Would any commissioner like to pull this item for discussion? Seeing none, do I have a motion to approve this item? A motion and I'll second. Roll call, please. Chair Pñena, yes. Vice Chair Gonzalez, yes. Commissioner Escoa, yes. Commissioner Rodriguez, yes. Motion carries. Thank you. On to public hearings. The only case on the agenda is to request for consideration of a conditional use permit for a fullervice auto repair used within an enclosed building in the industrial uh commercial zone pursuant to table 153.0. 050. 020 of the city's municipal co municipal co code. The location's on 15132 um a highway and may we have your presentation please? Yes. Thank you. Uh good evening honorable chair and members of the of the commission. Oh just a moment our slide picks uh populates. There it is. Uh next slide please. before use conditional use permit CP2504 that that will allow for the operation of an auto repair shop within a fully enclosed building. Next slide, please. The subject property is located at the intersection of Arrow Highway and Gayhurst Avenue at 15132 Arrow Highway. The site is currently improved by one

auto body shop, which is located at the site address 151 32 Arrow Highway with an approximate size of 1,830 ft. There is another uh sorry there are other existing structures along the eastern portions of the property including an existing office building with an approximate size of 400 uh 504 square ft and said areas are referred to as 15140 Arrow Highway on the available business license and building permit records. The existing building at 15132 Arrow Highway is currently vacant and was most recently used as a welding business. While the office while the office building and subsequent portions of the property located at 15140 Arrow Highway are currently used for an existing automotive wrecking yard. The site has a total of eight on-site parking spaces shared between both tenant spaces. Directly surrounding the property are similar industrial related uses uh fronting both Arrow Highway and Gayhurst Avenue. Next slide please. The applicant Archer Davian is proposing to use the existing building as an automotive repair facility. Shown on this slide is an existing site plan for the property. staff would like to bring to the planning commission's attention that a conditional condition of approval for the project as a condition of approval for the project the applicant will be required to demolish or legalize the noted unpermitted structures uh shown on the slide. There are no exterior alterations or changes being proposed to the existing industrial

building as part of this application. Next slide. Shown on the current slide is an expanded floor plan of the proposed auto repair facility. As part of this request, the applicant anticipates the need to install one mechanical lift as part of the proposed business operations. These modifications would be reviewed as part of a later tenant improvement plan. It will be submitted as a plan check to the building and safety division. Next slide. The current slide shows the on-site photographs of the proposed auto repair facility. As previously mentioned, there are no proposed additions or alterations to the exterior of the industrial building. As provided in the applicant's operation plan enclosed as attachment number three of the this item's uh agenda packet, Mr. Doian in intends to have no more than two employees on site during u at any given time and these employees will operate independently from the other active businesses on the property. Customers will be required to set up appointments to solicit the available services provided on site with the applicant anticipating a limited limited walk-in services depending on availability and the business is designed to serve only one customer at a time. As such, conditions of approval have been included in the enclosed resolution that requires the automotive repair services provided to take to take place entirely within the building and that no other automotive related services shall be allowed as part of this request. Violation of the drafted conditions of approval may

result in revocation of the conditional use permit. Next slide. A notice of public hearing was published in the local newspaper on June 12th, 2025. Additional public notices were mailed to property owners and occupants that live within 300 ft of the project site on the same date. To date, no verbal or written comments have been received by planning staff regarding the project. With respect to the project's review under uh SQL California Environmental Quality Act, the project is categorically exempt from further environmental review as it falls under uh the category of projects noted in section 15303 which is a class 3 for new construction or and conversion of small uh structures. as uh a a notice of exemption for this project will be filed with the Los Angeles County Clerk's Office um after a determination has been made. Next slide, please. In conclusion, staff does recommend that the planning commission approve resolution PC25-14 approving CP2504. Both planning staff and the project applicant are available uh for any questions that you may have regarding the project. Thank you. Thank you so much for that presentation. I'll now open up for questions for staff from the commission. Um, I recognize that the proposed location or the the location I should say is right across from, you know, um, Santa Fe Dam. So certainly there's a lot of traffic. There is a lot of noise. Um,

have there been any complaints from the neighbors on the other side regarding just noise from the um, businesses within that radius? We we haven't received uh code enforcement complaints for this property. Um, so hearing code enforcement complaints from the residents, but as far as the um the yard business itself, has there been any code violations in the past? Uh not to my knowledge. Okay. And then can you remind me I understand that there's uh eight parking spots and that those parking spots will be shared within the b the the adjoining business and then also just the the the new business. Is that right? Uh you know that that point was made in the in the staff report but I I I believe that's actually uh incorrect. So the there's eight parking spaces on the property directly in front of um that business and those will be for uh before the business. The the adjacent business which is a um auto parts um business is separate and there's not going to be a mixing of parking and employees. Great. Thank you so much for that clarification. I just have a clarifying question. Um, did I hear you correctly that there will be some tearing down of of structures to bring it up to code perhaps? Uh, so there are some unpermitted existing structures on the property. Um, primarily shade structures. So, um, the applicant has a choice to to go ahead and legalize them through a a U through large standard process, get a building permit and so forth, the plan check process, or he he can just remove them. So, the the applicant uh has that

choice. It's been added as a condition of approval that he he addressed that. Any additional questions to staff? Uh seeing none um I will now declare the public hearing open. Um is there anyone in the audience wishing to testify on this matter either for or against? And then at this time I'll ask the applicant uh to come to the podium. Um and if you can speak on this project for three minutes. Sorry one second. Let me um can we have the uh timer? Great. Thank you. You may now begin. Good evening gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate everyone's time. Uh, I've owned this property for a while now. Uh, I worked with Mr. uh, Baldwin. Had a good idea of what needs to be legalized on my property, which uh, I look forward to doing so. And, uh, as far as the body shop goes next door on, it's my same property. I guess a different address, but same parcel. Um we wish to conduct uh automotive services there. Great. Thank you. Um are there any questions to the applicant from the commission? I do have one question. I know on the operations plan it says that employees

will be working during the day hours, but it doesn't specify from what time to what time. So, can you just clarify um how long like during the time periods the employees will be expected to work? Sure. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Okay. Thank you. And then I just do want to thank you on your operations plan. I do know that you mentioned that you will be having a lot of all of your work inside within the building to minimize noise. So although it is a very very busy um area of our city um but certainly taking the initiative or being proactive to to minimize the noise for other neighbors around it's it's very well um appreciated. Thank you. I have great neighbors ones behind me. Um ones to my side we've never had any any problems within past six years that I've owned the property. And uh before that it was the same type of business. and haven't heard of any issues. Uh, I apologize. It looks like we lost our broadcasting computer. Please uh if we could pause for maybe 5 That's

from the designated time um stated because there's not a condition. Okay, we're back. Okay, thank you. Um because there's not a condition of approval that limit when he could uh when those employees could work. Um it wouldn't it would be unregulated how late they could work. um which is the case uh for the great majority of the other businesses that already exist on the on the on the block with the same zoning that don't have a conditional use permit. They they operate with that same freedom. Okay. Thank you. Thank you guys. Thank you. Any any additional questions or comments? Right. Seeing seeing none, I will now declare the public hearing closed. Um, this in mind, is there a motion to approve the project? I'll motion to approve. I'll second. Roll call, please. Chair Pña, yes. Vice Chair Gonzalez, yes. Commissioner Escoa, yes. Commissioner Rodriguez, yes. Motion carries. Thank you. Um the planning commission has voted to find the proposed um project is exempt from the environmental uh review under the SQA um under SQA and the state SQA guidelines. Specifically, the project is categorically exempt from SQA under section 15303 since the proposal is limited to an auto repair facility within an enclosed commercial building that was most like most recently used for an auto parts and services building. Uh the commission has also voted to adopt the resolution PC25-14 approving CP25-04, a resolution of the planning commission of the city of Balden Park approving a conditional use permit for the use of an auto mode of repair facility with an

enclosed building located within the industrial um IC zone pursuant to table 153.050.020 of the city's municipal code. Right. Congratulations. on to the non-public hearing items and uh reports of officers as well as the commission staff communications. Thank you. I do have uh two uh communications. First first of which I'd like to introduce formally to the planning commission our new employee as a new assistant planner uh Yadira Carmona joins us from the city of Isuza and she's uh she completes our planning staff. So w please please welcome clarif. Welcome. We're looking forward to working with you. Yeah. The other thing I thought was worth uh taking a moment to to mention is regarding planning commissioner terms. So at at the end of this month with this meeting that uh officially completes the terms for the planning commissioners. However, that doesn't mean that uh uh we no longer need your service. We absolutely do. Uh the way this works is that uh the seat is yours until you you vacate you vacate it or the the city council appoints a new uh person to the seat. um that if you if you are interested in reapplying, please do contact our um our deputy city clerk and she will uh receive and process your application and we'll be considered by the the city council. Great. Thank you so much for those announcements. Um is there any additional communication from the commission? I'll probably just say this now, but um

unfortunately I will not be continuing. It was a a hard tough decision because I truly have enjoyed my time and on the experience and being part of uh the commission. Um so unfortunately I won't be continuing but again this is not a goodbye but um I'll see you all soon and again thank you so much for allowing me to have a voice for my community um and just to be part of this. This is something I've always wanted to do. So thank you. We're started ECGO especially as vice chair and certainly with um the type of questioning um you asked it's always very appreciated seeing that perspective as well. So but of course we will see you around the city. Yeah, maybe target. Uh related to that though, I was about to ask because what I didn't hear in the report was when our next meeting would be. Um to be determined. I'm not sure if we're going to have a meeting in July. Uh I I don't believe we have an item tracking for our first scheduled meeting, which is the the second Wednesday of the month. So, this could be the last time we sit here with Stephanie. Is that what you're telling me? Yes. You all know about my abandonment issues. You have to tell me. Great. Well, seeing that there is no additional uh communication, would you like to do the honors in motioning to adjurnn? It is my honor to motion to adjourn this meeting. We have a second. I'll second. Roll call, please. Chair Pño, yes. Vice Chair Gonzalez, yes. Commissioner Escobosa, yes. Commissioner Rodriguez, yes. Motion carries. Thank

you. We are adjourned at 7:21. Thank you all.