Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

And we'll start by the land acknowledgment. We honor, respect, and acknowledge the Elk Grove first inhabitants, the Plain Meowoc, who lived and sovereign caretakers of this land and waterways since the time in memorial. We commemorate and advocate for their descendants, the Wilton Retoria Tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County, who endured because of the bravery, resilience, and determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders. At this time, please silence your electronics, your cell phone devices. The clerk, please, read the customary greeting.

The Elk Grove Planning Commission welcomes, appreciates and encourages participation in the meetings. The commission reserves the right to reasonably limit the total time for public comment on any particular notice agenda item as it may deem necessary. If you wish to address the commission during the meeting, please complete a speaker card and give it to the clerk prior to consideration of the agenda item.

Thank you. The chair, please call roll call.

Commissioner Sandra Poole. Present. Juan Fernandez, absent. Suman Singha, absent. Vice chair, Barendra Singh.

Present.

Chair, Oscar Okan.

Present. And at this time, I would like to advise commissioner Paul to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Thank you. Will you please join us in a moment of silence? Thank you. Needed approval for the agenda, please. So I need a motion.

Chair, I move to approve the agenda as presented.

Second. Thank you.

All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstentions? So it passes.

Members of the audience may comment on any item not on the agenda that is of interest to the public and within the jurisdiction of the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission cannot take any action on non agendized items raised under public comments until the matter has been specifically included on an agenda as an action item. The general public comment opportunity, so I'll open that. Do we have any speakers for that? So with that, I'll close it.

And I need a motion for the regular meeting minutes of 05/07/2026.

Chair, I move to approve the minutes of 05/07/2026 as prepared.

Second. Thank you. All those in favor?

Aye.

Opposed? Abstentions? The clerk will call the hearing items, please.

10132 Sheldon Road rezone and map, PLNG Twenty-fifty.

Good evening, Mr. Chair and members of the Planning Commission. Joseph Degumin, associate planner with the Community Development Department presenting the 1000132 Sheldon Road rezone and map project. This project consists of a rezone that would, amend the zoning of the subject property from the agricultural residential five to the agricultural residential two, as well as a tentative parcel map that would subdivide one existing parcel into two new parcels that will each meet the two gross minimum acre area requirement. Each parcel would have access off of Sheldon Road through an existing 40 foot wide private road and utility easement.

The project site is located at 10132 Sheldon Road. The property is approximately 4.97 acres located in the Elk Grove rural community plan area. The property is approximately 700 feet south of Sheldon Road. Current conditions on the property include a single residential dwelling, accessory dwelling unit, and accessory structures all to remain. And then there is some farmland on the western side of the property.

These are just couple of photos of the site and nearby. Figure one faces southbound. It shows the existing private road off of Sheldon Road looking southbound. Figure two is the existing single residential unit on the project site. As I mentioned, all structures on the property are going to remain. And then figure number three is, on the western side of the property. This is, existing farmland, currently undeveloped. Before you is the rezone exhibit. The current zoning of the property is agricultural residential five. The proposed zoning is agricultural residential two.

The AR two zoning district is consistent with the rural residential general plan designation. You do see on your screen that there are AR two zone properties on the western side of the private road just north of the property and then properties along, Walton Oaks Court. So before you is the tentative map. As I mentioned, the tentative map proposes to subdivide the property into new two into two new parcels, with a westerly parcel one measuring two gross acres in size and the easterly parcel two measuring 2.9 gross acres. The parcels share access off Sheldon Road through the 40 foot wide private road and utility easement that connects from the existing resident north.

The applicant has proposed a driveway to connect Parcel 1 to the existing private road on an adjacent property in an effort to retain existing trees and to avoid impact or possible mitigation for tree loss. A 30 foot wide private road access easement running east to west from the private road would connect to the future parcel 1. This private access easement traverses the southeast portion of the property directly north of the project site, which is 10108 Sheldon Road. Both the project site as well as 10108 are under the same property ownership, so there are no issues providing the access easement. In addition to avoiding existing trees, the new private drive access would serve a driveway as for any new future residents at 10108 Sheldon Road property.

The access was reviewed by the development engineering division as well as fire department. No issues were identified as part of it. The applicant will be required to record an easement, construct the driveway, and enter into a covenant agreement with the city for reciprocal access between the subject properties. Those are listed as conditions in your staff report. In terms of the project, the project is consistent with the city's development standards for subdivision lots in the AR2 Zoning District relating to minimum lot size, minimum lot width, and minimum lot depth.

It's also consistent with the rural area policies that would require future private well and septic connections. There is a minor modification to condition of approval number 36 That's included in the green sheet at the back of your staff report. In terms of CEQA, no further environmental review is required pursuant to section fifteen thousand one eighty three. The project is consistent with the community plan general plan and zoning. With the legislative action as part of this application, this item would go on to the city council.

So, tonight's staff is recommending that the planning commission, recommend approval and forward over to the city council. This concludes my presentation. This, staff and the applicant are available to answer any questions. Thank you.

Thank you, Joseph. Any questions to staff?

None at this time. Okay.

Thank you, Joseph. So with that, I'll declare a public hearing open and invite the applicant to speak if he wishes to.

Yeah. I'm I'm not gonna really do anything with the property. I'm looking that whole 17 acres around it and including it, is all family, and it's all family there. And so I'm trying to divide some lots off for my great grandkids. My grandchildren already have homes and stuff, so that's what I'm doing. I'm an old Elk Groveian. I was born here in 1942 when there was only 600 people in town. So this is my home. That's all I have to say. I got a lot more to say, but you don't wanna hear it all.

Thank you, sir. I went to see the property and it's a beautiful property, by the way. At this time, I would like to open it to public comments and opportunities. Do we have any speakers signed up? None. So close the public comment and declare the public hearing closed for commission deliberation. Anything?

My questions are answered at the staff meeting. Thank you.

Yeah. Okay. So I need a motion to approve, please.

Chair, I move to adopt a resolution recommending that the city council find that no further environmental review is required for the project pursuant to state CEQA guideline section one five one eight three, adopt an ordinance approving a rezone from the agricultural residential five to agricultural residential two designation and approve a tentative parcel map for the 10132 Sheldon Road map project based on the findings and subject to the conditions of approval included in the draft resolution and the modification of the condition of approval number 36.

Second. Okay. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstentions? So it passes. Next item, please.

5.2 Elk Grove Merle Festival, Paint The Grove, PLNG 26 Dash 014.

Good evening, commissioners. My name is Kara Killingsworth. I am the senior planner. And I am introducing Sarah Rodriguez. She is the Arts Cultural and Creative Economy Program Manager.

And we are introducing the project that consists of a major certificate of appropriateness and an old town design review for the Elk Grove Mural Festival, or Paint the Grove. It is to add new murals on various locations in the Old Town SPA, also known as Historical Main Street. The overall festival will include six sites, a variety of parcels along Elk Grove Boulevard. And three of those sites are historic resources. And Sarah will go in more detail of what we did through the process and who we talked to, but it did go to the Arts Commission as well as historic preservation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

So good evening, commissioners. As Kara mentioned, I'm Sarah Rodriguez. I'm the Arts, Culture, and Creative Economy Program Manager. And I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about Paint the Grove. This will be Elk Grove's first mural festival. So I am excited. It's been a true labor of love. And now I can talk to you all about it. So let me start with the road map of where I'm taking you today. So we'll start with the why.

Why are we doing this mural festival? I'll give you a little bit of background on what's been done thus far, give you some more information about the events and the activations that we are surrounding the festival with, and show you the walls, of course, the artists that we're hoping to move forward on those walls and pair them with, and then show you the materials and some feedback that we've gotten from the public. So why a mural festival? Well, there's many reasons, eight of which I've highlighted here. But at its core, a mural festival transforms blank walls into vibrant works of art.

But beyond that, it also draws visitors, it supports our local businesses, and creates a cultural and economic legacy that will last for years to come. So before we dive into the festival itself, so some background knowledge for you. This effort really began in December 2024 when the city formed the Arts and Creative Economy Commission. The creation of the commission signaled a stronger commitment to investing in arts, culture, and creative placemaking in Elk Grove. Then in February 2025, the arts, culture, and entertainment officially became a priority area for Measure E funds along with economic development.

And that was an important milestone because it created an opportunity to support projects that activated public spaces. And the idea of a mural festival has been floating around for some time now. But in May 2025, staff consulted with the Arts and Creative Economy Commission about the festival idea. And they were all in favor of us doing that. So following those conversations, we issued an RFP.

And ultimately, that led to City Council approving Talking Walls as our mural festival partners in September 2025, which really launched the partnership that helped bring Paint the Grove to life. And since then, I presented the plan, as Kira mentioned, to the Arts and Creative Economy Commission multiple times and the Historic Preservation Committee as well. So here's some of the feedback we got from those commissioners. So the Arts and Creative Economy Commission really felt strongly about supporting the mural festival. They highlighted the energy they felt like would be brought because of the festival to the downtown area.

They were enthusiastic about our events that we're bringing, especially the local artist battle, and praised the caliber of the artists and the diversity of those artists as well. And they liked the wall locations. Overall, they found that it would just boost our arts culture and economics seen here in Elk Grove. And then HPC found the project to be consistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic Resources. They voted unanimously for it to be brought to you to move forward.

So part of their recommendation, they did encourage that the art reflect themes of Elk Grove's heritage, the character of Old Town. But they did want to note that they continue to value the artistic freedom of the artists that are part of the mural festival. So Talking Walls is our partners. They describe themselves as a studio without walls dedicated to transforming cities into vibrant works of art. And their mission really aligns with the city's goals and the commission's vision for the mural festival.

This is husband and wife duo Crystal and Cameron Moburg. They're actually here with us today. They bring more than twenty years of experience painting walls and over a decade of doing mural festivals. This will actually be their twentieth mural festival. And so they bring a lot of perspective for artists because Cameron is an artist himself, a muralist himself, and also just event management. And the caliber of their work really speaks for themselves. So as I mentioned, this will be their twentieth. So they've done great work in Great Falls, Montana Lafayette, Indiana San Francisco, California so all different types of communities. And they're asked to come back time and time again for good reason. So they've been incredible partners thus far.

They do everything with great heart. And we're very lucky to have them. So let's talk events. The hope is to have seven walls painted by eight artists. Meanwhile, we have been planning events to activate the historic downtown area.

These events were planned to bring the community together to amplify our local artists as well as our visiting artists and to celebrate art and culture. So on June 1, we are having a VIP artist and sponsor reception with the sponsorship of Explore Elk Grove. So they're hosting that event for us. This is where we will welcome our artists and thank our sponsors and just ease them into doing the project and into the city. And then mid week that's June 3 we are doing an event called Street Art one hundred one, which is really a workforce opportunity for our Elk Grove Middle And High School Students.

So up to 30 students will meet at the plaza. They'll learn the history of street art. They'll tour the half painted walls at that point and get their hand at sketching and using spray paint techniques themselves. So for a lot of them, it will be a new medium and it will be a great learning opportunity. And then June 6 is our two fully public events that anyone can tap into. So mark your calendars, everyone. They are both family friendly and free to attend. In the morning, we'll start at 9AM at the plaza. And Cameron, with talking walls, will lead us in a guided mural tour. And then in the evening between four and 8PM, we will have a local artist battle, where about nine local artists will paint large canvases in this competition like style event.

A panel will determine a winner. And there's also a people's choice vote. So everyone should bring their friends and vote for their favorites. We'll also have about 20 local artists and arts organizations tabling around the event. So as the art is being done, they'll have an opportunity to showcase work there. And we'll have food trucks. We'll have a DJ. And it'll just be a citywide celebration of art. Now, are our city events that we're putting on. But we're also lucky to say that we have some community events as well.

So as we've been talking about this, organizations have come out and said, we want to contribute as well. So Annie Peony's gallery is also hosting an event. They're hosting a hands on youth activity where the youth can come to the gallery and help paint a community mural and then enjoy a gaming lounge afterwards. So 06/02/1945 between three and 8PM, the youth can drop in at any time and contribute to that artwork. And then the Fine Arts Center is having a gallery exhibit featuring local artists alongside some of the mural festival artists.

And that'll be between June three and fifth, between 11AM and 5PM. So lots of celebration, activation, foot traffic, economic development to look forward to. So as I mentioned earlier, it was important to our community that we amplify local artists. So we heard that loud and clear and are doing that during our local artist battle on June 6. So here are four of those artists.

Actually, Ryan is here, Ryan Ponrodes. So Annie Peony is from Elk Grove, Cora of Sacramento, Ryan Ponrodes of Sacramento, and Rhee of Elk Grove are four of them. And then the others thus far is Marco Siguiri of Elk Grove, Ryan Polly of Elk Grove Wilton, Matthew of Elk Grove, and Erica Thomas of Sacramento. Now switching gears to walls. This is a slide of all the walls that were originally in the staff report.

We needed to ask for more than we were going to move forward with. So what's marked in yellow are the seven walls that the building owners have signed to participate. Three of the seven are historic, as Kiera mentioned. So I've identified them in yellow on these slides, School of Rock being one of them. All historic buildings were, like we said, brought to HPC.

And they were recommended approval to Planning Commission. We purposefully selected walls that had already been previously painted and avoid any brick buildings that we weren't changing any distinguished features of our historic buildings. We also worked with Talking Walls to select artists that were going to enhance the architecture of those buildings. So for example, School of Rock, we paired that wall with bubble gum. He is based in Spain and is a self taught multidisciplinary artist and creator of his signature ornamental style.

So his work blends animals and natural forms with intricate filigree, resulting in these highly detailed compositions that feel both timeless and unexpected. So when Cameron went to the site with me to talk with Jason Klein, who's also here today as one of the building owners, we noticed that he had this filigree throughout his building already. And we thought this was a great pair. So we thought a lot about that sort of thing when we were pairing artists with the walls. And I must note also, these are to give you an idea of their portfolios, but not necessarily what would be painted on the walls.

Just to give you an idea of their caliber. All right. And the next step is Happy Garden. We are actually hoping to activate that entire alleyway there. So Pros is across the street and Happy Garden is there. I'll start with Happy Garden. We're hoping to have two artists on this wall, being that it's so long. So half of it, we'd like Efrain, or ER, to paint. ER is an Austin based muralist. And he blends vibrant color and movement and cultural storytelling.

His murals celebrate individuality while reflecting the voice and spirit of the communities that they're created in. So he's actually known for gathering inspiration from the local community in his pieces of work. If you see right here, this piece, for example, he learned that this building used to be a bowling alley. So he included this bowling shirt here. And the building owner was really into magic, so incorporated this hand trick. And then the cardinal was a state bird. There was a train that kept driving by as he was painting, so incorporated that. That sort of thing is kind of what he's known for. The other side of the Happy Garden, we're pairing with Mr. Toledo.

Daniel Toledo is a LA based muralist, originally from San Diego. And he draws from his Mexican heritage and personal journey. He creates vibrant works that celebrate culture, emotion, and transformation. His practice approaches are as storytelling and self expression. He likes to use color and imagery to build genuine connections with the community. And then on the other side, as I mentioned, we're trying to activate that whole alleyway. So on the other side is Prost. And there's two buildings we're looking at. So this two story one and then this cinder block one in the back. And for the two story, we're looking at Bacon.

So Alex Bacon is a Toronto based Canadian painter and muralist that's recognized for his practice of exploring. You could see light and form and material that he plays with. He transforms walls into these bold visual experiences that balance movement, color, and abstraction in striking ways. So his work really feels timeless, just like the building itself, Proust. And we believe pairing him with the building will get folks to stop and to take notice of the history that we're preserving with that building.

And then for that back wall, we're hoping to pair that with Francesca Gammes. When we contracted with Talking Walls, we required a local artist be included on one of the walls. So Francesca is that artist. She was born in Manila, raised in the Bay Area, but currently the co owner of eighteen ten Gallery in Sacramento. And she's a member of the Trust Your Struggle Collective.

She likes to merge art, culture, and social impact while centering belonging and collective care. She was actually recognized by Sacramento Business Journal's 40 Under 40 as an honoree. And she was also recognized as an emerging leader of the year by the Sacramento Asian Chamber of Commerce. So lots of ties to the Sacramento region. And our next wall is the Elk Grove Library.

Because of its great many windows, we thought an abstract artist would fit best on this wall. So the artist chosen there is Ricky Watts. He was born in San Francisco. Ricky is a visual artist that's known for his colorful hard edged gradient style. He's rooted in aerosol art and skate graphics and blends abstract forms with color transitions that create these energetic compositions that his clients, like Google and Louis Vuitton and LinkedIn and Skechers, all have gravitated towards.

And then the next wall we're looking to paint is Custom Fireside. And the artist for that wall would be Cameron Moberg. So he might look a little familiar, half of Talking Walls. And so he's one of our mural festival or he's a mural festival partner. He's based in San Francisco and has more than twenty five years of experience.

And he's known for creating vibrant nature infused works that bring a sense of calm, curiosity, and connection. And our last wall to consider is Ocean Fish and Chips. We have not only got the building owner's approval, but also spoke with the business right next door to make sure it was Okay to use the parking. And both are all on board with us painting. That artist would be Naomi Haverland.

Naomi is a mural artist based in Orlando, Florida. And she's known for her whimsical work rooted in realism and illusion. She's got a background in three d chalk art and more than twenty years of experience. And she brings the sense of play and texture and curiosity to these large scale paintings. And her work really transforms everyday spaces into these immersive visual experiences that invite people to stop, to look closer, and to explore.

So those are the walls and the artists. And here is a comprehensive list of the materials that they may use. Artists work in different mediums, and each wall requires a bit of different preparation. But this is a full comprehensive list of the materials. And the public is overall very excited, as you see from some of those emojis. I've clipped some of the responses to the artists that we've been posting about. So lots of excitement being built by the general public. And as I mentioned, it was really important for us to make sure that this was a citywide celebration. And it's really turned out to be just that. We have financial sponsors and event sponsors and paint sponsors, a lounge sponsor, food sponsor.

And we have both local and regional support. And we're so grateful for that outpour of love for festival that we've received. So I wanted to end with the staff recommendations. So staff is recommending that the Planning Commission adopt a resolution to find the Mural Festival exempt from CEQA and to approve a major certificate of appropriateness and Old Town Design Review for the Mural Festival project. That concludes my presentation. For more information, people can follow along on Instagram at Paint the Grove or visit paintthegrove.com. I want to thank you guys for your time and consideration. I'm happy to answer any questions. The arts and creative economy commissioners are here as well, and so is Talking Laws. So thank you so much.

Thank you, Sarah. And before we ask for questions to staff, I would like to say how excited I am about this. I grew up I was born and raised in the Mission District. So I grew up watching these from the early 70s. And it just brings a different attitude and a different electricity to the community. I'm really excited about about this, and, I'm happy for the city too. Now do you have any questions or staff?

No questions. Just a comment. I had a great briefing with you, and, we're really excited for this. My wife and daughter are both artists, and they're excited for that week. So I can't wait. Great.

I've got just a couple of questions for you. Yeah. And where is the youth you talked about the youth community mural. Where where was that going to be?

Yeah, so Annie Peony. That's one of the community events that's being held. So Annie Peony has a gallery in the Main Street area, so nearby. I don't have the address off the top of my head. But they have done part of their fence already as a community mural. And so they're hoping to do the other side of that and invite the youth to participate.

So it's not part of the ones that you

show It's not the not the city Okay. Yeah. It's one of the community led events. We do have a youth one that's for middle school and high school students, and that's gonna be at the plaza for the Okay. Street art one zero one.

And then on the local artists, what was the process for recruiting local artists?

Yeah. To be honest, it was kind of word-of-mouth for the most part. And I think that's something I want to do differently in the future, is doing like a call for We didn't know what events we were going to do initially. But as people heard that we were looking to do a festival, they would come out. And if they showed interest, they commented or anything, they were all given the same application and same opportunity to fill it out. So it was folks kind of being excited and saying, like, I'm a local artist, and I'd love to participate. Yeah.

And this is my last question. I know that there's been the recommendation for artistic freedom. Were there any prohibitions that were provided to the artists?

Yes. So in the agreement that we have with the art we call it artistic freedom within parameters. So they were all required to agree that their work should be viewable by all ages, that there's no profanity that should be on there, that it shouldn't be confusing to people who are driving by it, for example, and that there's nothing political that is included on there. So those are all parameters that we spelled out. And also Talking Welles is great partners to make sure that it's gonna be something that the community is gonna receive well because they obviously have an incentive to produce great work. Yeah.

Thank you. Mhmm.

Thank you, Sarah.

Yeah.

With that, I'll declare the public hearing open. I don't think we have any more questions for the speaker. So I'll open it up for common opportunities for the public. Do we have anybody?

Yeah. The first speaker is Brian Rickel.

Hi, everybody. Thank you for having me tonight. Is this my timer? Or do you want me to set my own?

No, no. Okay, cool. Let's go. Because I

need a timer. My name is Brian Rickel. I am the chair of the Arts and Creative Economies Commission here in Elk Grove. I'm also the dean of arts, media, entertainment at Cosumnes River College. And training artists is what I've been doing most of my adult life. I am a theater artist by trade and training, not a painter. And I'm fascinated by by what painters are able to do. I think you just saw some amazing work here. But I wanna talk tonight briefly in support of everything that we've done for this. I am so excited about this.

I am currently watching the arts in this country be be taken to task by everybody from the top to the bottom. Todd Gloria in San Diego, home of one of the most famous mural parks on Earth in Chicano Park, just cut their entire arts budget completely from the city budget. And as we watch this, I'm really proud of Elk Grove for engaging in what we are doing right now. The choice to bring in Talking Walls was, at the end of the day, an easy one. I think that Crystal and Cameron run an organization that is filled with integrity.

It is centered on the artist. I run an organization that is centered on the student. I dream of days that my students become the artists that we just saw up on this wall here. I think this is going to be a very exciting space for downtown. I moved back home to Elk Grove after twenty some odd years in San Diego and was concerned about that. Because when I left, Elk Grove was something very, very different. And what I've seen is a community that is so filled with diversity and so filled with our own stories that we want to tell and see represented everywhere. And we all have our own ideas of what heritage is. We have our own ideas of what culture means. And I think that the artists that we've chosen or that Cameron and Crystal have chosen really represent a very wide swath of art.

It doesn't matter if you're in Boise or Bozeman or Philly or Detroit or New York or San Francisco or San Diego or Grass Valley. When you walk down a city street and you see gorgeous murals that are striking and stunning and they take your breath away, it adds value to everything about that part of town. It brings economic fortuitousness, I suppose. I just lost my brain, so that's the word I'm going to pick, right? It brings economic structure to the people come to see these things.

We're talking world class artists from Spain and Toronto, everywhere, Los Angeles. And we are lucky enough to have curators in Talking Walls that have really, really taken an idea that we had and really pushed it to the forefront. This is going to put us on a map as an art city, and I'm really proud of that. I'm proud that we are putting money toward it. I left campus today when the entire face of my recital hall fell off the building because it has been so ignored financially for so many years. And the fact that we as a city are putting money and time and effort into this makes me so proud to live here and so proud to have moved home to come here. So I appreciate you all tonight, and I hope that we can move forward with this. Thank you.

Thank you, Brian. Clerk, I don't think this timer is working. It didn't work. Sorry. I just stopped working. Thank you. We have anybody else? Oh, yeah.

I'm right here too.

Let me just start.

I don't see it.

Larissa Campos.

Hi,

commissioners. Thank you so much for having me today. I'm so excited to be here. My name is Larissa Campos. My family and I moved to Elk Grove about four years ago. And we have young kids who I mean, my son loves art. He's always drawing and coloring. And his teachers in preschool can't get him to stop. And so the idea of bringing the arts to Elk Grove in this way is so exciting. I think it's such an amazing opportunity for us to be able to invest in the community and bringing life into our community, but also to inspire creativity in our youth.

And that's amazing. And I'm very excited about that and hope it will move forward. But I'm also here speaking because Cameron and Crystal are personal friends of ours. We've known them for almost fifteen years. And they are by far some of the most amazing friends and people that we have.

It was very hard for us to leave San Francisco and leave them as friends four years ago. And the opportunity and the possibility of them bringing their amazing talents and beyond their talents, also their care for a community to Elk Grove is so exciting. And I think that for as much as as loud as the art speaks, their heart behind it is what takes an event like this or a mural festival from being something that goes beyond art and really creates connection and unites people in a community. So, I'm so hopeful that this will move forward and that we, will work with them for many years to come. Thank you.

Thank you. Do we have anybody else? Good.

Cameron Mo Morberg.

Hey, everyone. Thanks for having me here. I'm Cameron of Talking Walls. I was just speaking on behalf of myself and my wife, Crystal. Yeah, I don't have a lot to say. Sarah did such an amazing job in presenting. But, yeah, my my heart is for this. Like, I Crystal and I believe in the power of art so much and the change it could bring to communities, and we've seen it over and over. We've seen the camaraderie that happens around the arts. We've seen young people go from saying, I can't wait till I get older to leave my community.

And then when you put art in it, say, I want to stay in my community. We've seen them come back to communities that we've done mural festivals at. So, yeah, I've just seen firsthand the power of it. And I'm grateful for this opportunity because we get to also support the artists. And that's like a big part of our hearts, is the artists that we're bringing in, we love them. A lot of these artists we've gotten to work with for years. And we want to see their careers thrive. We want to support them. And we want to bring in high caliber artists so that even the local artists that aren't painting large scale murals yet, they're inspired by those artists. They get to rub elbows with those artists.

They get to know what it's like to paint a wall that big. So yeah, I don't just, know. I'm so appreciative of the opportunity for this. We never take it lightly. We take it very serious.

We've heard everything that everybody's had to say from the building owners, the artists themselves, the community members, the historical society. And we worked so hard to figure out how to put this puzzle piece together, and communicate all those wants and those needs from all the different people to bring something beautiful to this city. So I really hope this moves forward. We've been working so hard on this, and we're extremely excited about it. But thank you for, giving us time today.

Thank you.

I have Crystal if she wants to speak. I

appreciate opportunity. Thank you. Yeah. As Cameron said, we're really honored to have been selected for this project. It it does mean a lot to us, and we want to move in a way that Elk Grove is proud of and that at the end of the day, we are also proud of. And, yeah, we're just family people. We're community minded, and we hope to just enhance this community that we've been invited into. And, yeah, again, grateful. So thank you.

Thank you.

Ryan Rhodes.

Hello. I'm Ryan Rhodes. I'm a local muralist out of Sacramento. I've been working as a full time mural since 2007. I'm just here to show support for the project. I've worked with Talking Walls before, and I've worked with other mural mural festivals, and they're the best. They literally everything they do, they take care of the artist so well. They take care of the wall really well. They prep it right. They clear coat it afterwards, make sure it's pristine. It's just one of those things where I'm looking forward to this project. I can't wait to see what you guys do.

Thank you.

And I apologize if I have this incorrect. Sue Susan Sawyer?

Sanger.

Sanger. Sorry.

My name is Susan Sanger, and I have a cold, so I apologize for my deep voice. I live in Old Town. I live on School Street, and I've lived there for a long time. I, too, want these beautiful murals to come, but it's a content I'm very concerned with, as well as other people in our community. They've given us examples that are somewhat abstract in content, and they should really reflect the dedication and the projection of Old Town, which is our historical value, such as your logo that we see all the time with the deer and the oak trees and the roads leading into it.

It's very important that we follow the beauty and the direction that Old Town has always represented. We have very strict guidelines provided for the merchants there on painting and using colors. And these are so vibrant and almost they're not indicative of the colors that I would like to see on these murals as well as the content. So I'd like you to consider passing it, definitely, if you haven't already. But I also think it's very important that the content be represented properly, as well as the colors.

Very important. We seem to have missed that part of it. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Peggy Forsyth Andrews.

Good evening. I may give Brian a little competition on who can talk the most and fastest. I'm Peggy Forseth Andrews. I sit on your historic preservation committee and have for several years and have been involved in, the homes and the area going on to our historic register. I also am a merchant in Old Town, and I have been down there for over forty years doing business.

I can tell you nine out of 10 people that walk into my business ask about the building, what was the building, what's the history of the building, what's the history of the area. I'm very excited about the mural festival. In fact, we approached economic development to put a mural on a building that, I am involved on the board before there was talk about a mural festival. I met Crystal Cameron, phenomenal people. That is not anything that I had questioned about and that the mural festival will definitely add some vibrancy to Elk Grove.

What I am concerned about is that, I would ask you to join the historic preservation committee in asking that there be some cultural, and historic significance to some of the murals. We have a unique opportunity to provide that for especially people that are new to our area that want to know about our history and want to know about our original retail area, which is down in the old town area. When, there was talk about stepping into the historic area, I brought that up then, That we need to be careful if we're going to come into the historic area, and we do make consideration about that. People can still have, and I'm I'm very deep in the art community here. People can still have artistic freedom, but yet reflect our cultural history.

And so I would ask that you give consideration to that, especially on the buildings that are of historical significance. Thank you.

Thanks. That's it. Excuse me. With that, I close the public comments, and I invite the applicant to respond.

What would you like me to respond

to? I

think you and I talked about it when you briefed me.

There's been lots of public comments. So I will agree that talking walls is the best decision that we move forward. That was the earlier comment. As far as the historical part, so we have passed on everything we've heard from all the groups, as Cameron mentioned. Talking Walls is aware of people's concerns.

This city and staff still believe that the best pieces of work are going to come when we give the most artistic freedom. As far as the colors go, that was not something that was a collective thing from HPC. That was brought up during that meeting if we should be following SPA colors. And that was not part of the recommendation because it was a minority of the folks there that wanted that. So that's my response to that.

As far as the history goes, I think we have a very diverse community here in Elk Grove. People that live in Elk Grove, I hope that they see these murals and they're proud of them and they love them. I also hope folks that live outside of that and who enjoy historic part of Elk Grove also feel like they see themselves in it as well. So I think just having an eclectic group of artists showcase themselves is going to resonate from people who are like them, people of all walks of life. So there was a reason why we picked the artists we did and why we made them a diverse group, because Elk Grove is a diverse group.

And we wanted that to be reflected. So I guess it's just very broad of what heritage is and what culture is. I think we're doing the city a service by giving as much freedom as possible. And I should say the building owners were given the opportunity to veto any sort of content. Like, for example, Happy Gardens building owner, her culture says that tigers and lions, for example, they draw business away in her culture. So she asked that those not be included in the mural, for example. So there is some input that we've gotten from the building owners and that we are going to move forward and make sure that we honor those. But that's where we stand.

Thank you.

Mr. Chair.

Yes.

I just wanted to note that in the SPA guidelines, it does say cities encourage betrayal of the social, historic, cultural themes that celebrate Elk Grove's past, present, and future. But what these guidelines are in place, they shall not be used by the city as criteria for denying or conditioning any approval or application for a mural based upon the content pursuant to the SPA. So I just wanted to know that is in the SPA for the Old Town.

I appreciate that. Thank you.

Sorry. Then we also took in part of the do have SPA does have a color palette at the end of it. But those palettes have been used for permanent features, for exterior walls, for architectural historic buildings, not for temporary, like a mural. We see that more as a temporary.

Thank you. Yeah, it's a pretty fine line because you can't take the artistry away from the artist. So but as long as we're watching that, I think we'll be okay. So with that, I declare the public hearing closed and commission deliberations open, please.

When you say temporary, because I know we haven't really talked about we haven't really talked time frame. What are you thinking?

Yeah. So as the agreement, the building owner is required to have the mural stay up for three years at minimum. We think that they'll largely benefit from the business that it draws and things like that and want to keep it longer. These murals are made in a way that's going to be long lasting, but the building owner is only agreeing to three years right now.

Anything else?

Are we going to

I am

also very supportive of this project. I think in the times that we're in right now, that art is calming. And I think that for Mother's Day, the present that I valued the most and the muralists are going to laugh at me, but my sister sent me some canvas with the paint by numbers. And it was just amazing how calming it is just to sit there. She also sent me a coloring book. And so I just think that this is a very good project, and it's good for our community. And I'm supportive of it.

Thank you. You?

No, just I'm really excited for this project. And in terms of the concern about this being a part of our history, think these murals will become a part of our history fifty years from now. If I take my kids, we'll talk about when we were there that week when they had paint the mural. So I'm excited.

Thank you. With that, I will need a motion.

Chair, I move to adopt a resolution finding the project exempt from pursuant to state guidelines sections one five three zero one and one five three three one and approving the major certificate of appropriateness and Old Town design review for the Murrell Festival PLNG 26 dash zero one four based on the findings and subject to conditions of approval included in the draft resolution. Second.

Thank you. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstentions? So we pass this. Thank you.

Hey. Good evening, commissioners. I'm Christina Castro, your capital programs manager with the Public Works Department. I'm here tonight to present the twenty twenty six twenty thirty one capital improvement program for the general plan consistency. Since this item is only brought to the commission once a year, I would like to provide a general overview of the CIP program.

The five year CIP is a document that identifies the capital projects the city anticipates working on for the next five years, along with the funding strategy to implement this plan. The CIP is updated on an annual basis with the first year being funded through the annual budget adoption. While funding is included in the draft CIP as part of the appendix, this commission is only being asked to consider the project conformance to the general plan and defer funding approval to City Council, which is currently scheduled for next week, May 27. The projects considered for inclusion in CIP come from a variety of sources, including the general plan itself, the city's fee programs as part of appendix two b, operational safety and maintenance needs, the city council mission vision and goals, and priorities from the community committees and city staff. Most of the funding for the CIP is discretionary funding, which means the funding sources can only be used for a specific purpose, as such drainage fee or roadway fee, or within specialized specific zones, such as community facility districts.

Staff resources are also a factor in the number of projects that we can actively design and construct, which is also taken into account with the timing of the projects. The CIP is broken up into five separate programs with the first being alternative transportation modes, which includes sidewalk, curb ramps, trails, and transit. We also have community enhancements, which include landscaping, lighting, signage, plazas, parks, and most recently, the permanent homeless shelter. Drainage program addresses flood control, water quality, and conveyance improvements of the storm water system. And our facilities includes both new facilities as well as repair of existing facilities.

Transportation's our broader category that includes our pavement management program, traffic control, and safety projects along with our larger traditional roadway and interchange projects. Exhibit a in your packet begins with a list of the general plan policies referenced. And in the following pages, you'll find the projects included in the twenty twenty six, twenty thirty one CIP. The last column shows how these projects conform with the general plan based on the policy listed. The latest version of the general plan was adopted on 12/10/2025.

The existing projects have been approved by Planning Commission in prior years, but we wanted to provide the complete project list with a callout of new projects below the project number for your consideration. Once again, we are here tonight for the general plan consistency finding. The draft CIP and draft c city budget will be presented to city council May 27, And then the CIP and annual budget will be adopted by council on the June 10 meeting. So staff is recommending that the Planning Commission find the twenty twenty six two thousand and thirty one Capital Improvement Program is not considered a project under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to section fifteen three seventy eight of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations, the state and sequel guidelines, and find the twenty twenty six, twenty thirty one capital improvement program consistent with the city plans city's general plan. And with that, I will open it up for any questions.

Any questions for staff?

Thank

you.

Thank you.

So with that, I excuse me. I open the public comment opportunity. Do we have any? Nobody? So close the public common opportunity, and I need a motion for the item, please.

Sure. I move that the planning commission adopt a resolution recommending that the city council find, one, the determination of the proposed twenty twenty six through 2031 capital improvement program is consistent with the general plan, is not a project under the CEQA pursuant to section one five three seven eight b of title 14 of the code California code of regulations. And two, the proposed 2026 through 2031 capital improvement program is consistent with the city of Elk Grove's general plan. Plan.

Second. Thank you. All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Abstations? So it passes. Thank you. Director's report. Alright.

Good evening, commissioners. First off, if you haven't had a chance to meet Melissa yet, sitting to my right, your left, she's filling in, as you're aware, for Chelsea while she's on a maternity leave. So we welcome her to our fair city to help us out with our planning commission meetings. So you'll be seeing her at meetings going forward for the next couple of months. So if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to her on legal matters.

In terms of the rest of the report that's before you this evening, nothing immediately for counsel and administrative actions to report out. It's been quiet on the planning front as you had a quiet time the last couple of months. But we do have a couple of items coming up for you. First, on June we have a confirmed item for a tentative parcel map out in the rural area off of Calvin Road. And we are looking at finishing up a or we're working on an application.

I don't think it's gonna make June 18, though, for an existing mural in Old Town that is actually in need of permit approvals should the commission be so inclined. But I believe that's gonna get punted out to July if I recall staff's discussion earlier this week. On the zoning administrator front, there is an item confirmed for the June 1 meeting. Although I will note, we will have a new zoning administrator officer as of the first of the month. Previously, Kara Reddick, who's the deputy city manager for the city, was serving in that role.

She'll be leaving us at the end of next week to become the city manager for Lodi. And so Jackie, who is our assistant city manager, will be Guzman. Jackie Guzman will be taking over that role. And this will be her first meeting. So for those who are interested in coming out and giving her a hard time, please feel free to.

In terms of city council matters, nothing at next week's council, but for June 10, we're currently, working on a, design review for a new project over the Calvin Point Shopping Center. These are amendments to an existing approval that where the council was the approving authority previously. And under city regulations, an amendment, in this case, goes straight back to the city council without having to come through the planning commission. And then also on June 10 will be the hearing for adoption of the Climate Compass, which you saw at your last meeting. Well, that concludes our report.

Please let us

know if

you have questions. Any questions? No. And welcome, Melissa.

Thank you.

Planning commission matters. We have any? Nothing. So with that, we'll adjourn at 07:01. Thank you, everybody.