Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Call the meeting of the Hanford City Planning Commission to order. It is December 9, 05:30PM. Roll call, please.

Mister Nelson?

Present. Commissioner Norris.

Here.

Vice Chair Douglas.

Here. Chair Ham.

Here. For the record, Commissioners Curtis and Maris are absent.

Thank you. You all

so grateful for all of your blessings, your goodness to us, particularly during this time of the season. It reminds us of how good you are to us. I pray now that you'd be with the planning commission. You'd guide them, direct them, give them wisdom. Thank you for the service that they render to our community. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Commissioner Douglas, please. Of The United States Of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Please be seated. The Next item on the agenda is public comment, and this is a time for citizens to comment on subject matters not on the agenda and that are within the jurisdiction of the commission. This is also the public's opportunity to request an item from the consent calendar be pulled for discussion purposes or to comment on any items on the agenda. Comments related to public hearing items will be heard at the time the item is discussed. A maximum of three minutes is allowed for each speaker. And please begin your comments by stating your name and providing your city of residence. Would anyone like to speak under public comment?

Good evening. Rose Shapley. I live near Lacey Park here in Hanford. I go on a walk every day. Saw the, streets all set up for the turkey trot, with the chalk mark on the streets. People coming downtown should be seeing that all the time. It was still there during the parade. So that was on Thursday. The parade was Friday night, so those marks were still in the street. Thousands of people were trying to make their way around knowing which way to go and all that.

Some of the arrows are indicating the wrong direction on a street. The arrows think go this way as if it's a one way street and it's a two way street. I was thinking maybe somebody was trying to save money, time by having the street sweepers go over it, but they're still out there today even. So and we have the Rudolph thing coming up, so there will be people probably running for that. And there will be other markings, so that'll be extra confusing.

I imagine both of those events have to go through the city to close the streets, get those markings made, but tries I made to find out who might remove them. They're still there. So that's one thing. Wonderful winter wonderland with the the little dingy whatever thing going over the cement making little pockmarks in the cement again this year. And they're just little pockmarks going in the cement that aren't usually there more and more every year.

And I've tried and tried to get that event to be an indoor event all year. Ice skating rink in a hot community like this would be great in the summer. Recreation indoors, which is what we need. And that thing actually makes money, which is nice for the city to have something that pays for itself. Bad air continues with the vaping daily assaults on my daily walk and trash and dog loose and all of those things that supposed to be the best time of my day, and it just winds up hazardous.

So just mentioning really appreciate addressing all of of those things. I understand we have the new traffic safety funds. Right? So just like to see more safe and healthy stuff. Still really hard to breathe here, bad water issues, all of that. So but thank you for doing what you can to make living here a more pleasant place to be. But but I'm just saying tonight, while I have an opportunity, there's room for improvement still and try as we may. I I wasn't able to get anybody to address it. So thank you.

Thank you. None of those items fall under the purview of this commission. I think part of those might fall under public works as far as the street is concerned. But we cannot address any of those other items. Anybody else like to meet any public comments?

Seeing none, we'll go ahead and move on to consent calendar. And right now, there's nothing on the consent calendar to address. Excited on the agenda is a public hearing. It is by community development department and it's gonna be for a conditional use permit, number 50Five-twenty5. And it's a request to locate a tattoo studio in an existing suite in the MXC Corridor mixed use zone district. And the project is located at 580 South 11th Avenue. There's a parcel number Twelve-three32Dash014. I will now open the public hearing and request a staff report.

So thank you chair and commissioners. So as it was stated, the project is located at 580 South 11th Avenue in an existing building within an existing shopping center as outlined on the map. The general plan designation for the site is corridor mixed use and the zoning is also MXC corridor mixed use. So the applicant is applying to permit a tattoo studio at this location. A tattoo studio is classified as a tattooing or body art use in the Hanford zoning ordinance.

As shown on the table, a tattooing or body art use is permitted with the conditional use permit in the corridor mixed use zone district. As shown on the floor plan provided, the suite will include a greeting counter with and a waiting area at the suite entrance, workstations, area, a hand wash station, a storage room and a restroom. All site modifications shall comply with all applicable sections of the California building and fire codes. The business will offer tattooing, body art and piercing services. The hours of operation are proposed to be 10AM to 10PM on Monday through Sunday with the exception of holidays where they see fit.

Additionally, since publication of the staff report, the applicant has stated that consent forms and a verbal explanation of after care will be provided to ensure proper understanding of how to care for tattooing tattoos and piercings. Also, additionally, as a condition of approval, the EU shall operate in compliance with all requirements of the Kings County Department of Public Health and the Safe Body Art Act, including the provision that tattoo art body art, tattoos, and body piercings may be given to adults in conformance with penal code six fifty two. This zoning requirements evaluated for compliance with the Hanford Municipal Code. The property is located within a shopping center, which provides shared parking in order to provide adequate parking for this use. All requirements of the corridor mixed use zone district have been met except for the side setback landscaping and fence and wall requirements.

However, these items are legally existing nonconforming since the original development of the site was approved and constructed under previous zoning regulations, which allowed a lesser setback area, reduced landscaping, and no fence or wall. The proposed business will have no effect on these items, and the applicant does not propose to bring the site into further nonconformance. The appropriate findings to approve a conditional use permit have been made in accordance with Section 17.80.030 of the Hanford Municipal Code. The project is categorically exempt from further environmental review for Section 15.301 existing facilities of the CEQA guidelines. A notice of exemption has been prepared for the project.

Staff recommends that the Planning Commission adopt Resolution No. 2020Five-thirty6 approving conditional use permit number 0055Dash25. And with that, I invite any questions that commissioners may have at this time.

Are there any questions from the commission? I have a comment or a question. There was a comment that you made about it being partially nonconforming. And since it's already in an existing structure, which they have no real control over, that they're just going to occupy, Is that really an issue since they can't really do anything that's already been approved?

No. It's just legally existing since that's how it was approved when it was developed. It's just that's how it is. Unless they were to do major development which they're not with this proposal then we look at today's zoning standards but they're not doing very much.

Thank you. Alright, we'll now open the floor for public input. And first, I'll call on anyone in favor of the project. Please come forward. State your name and city of residence. How was your opportunity? You have five minutes.

Come come tell us about it.

Hello. I'm Ernesto Medina. I live in Hanford, California. I grew up around here, you know, my whole life. I tattoo on everybody from different walks of life, provision officers, police officers, nurses, doctors, construction workers, everybody. And it's meaningful things that they get. You know? And I bring happiness, joy into people's lives, and I wanna continue to do that. It's a career I pursued. I used to draw when I was younger and just eventually, I ended up tattooing, and I was never the best.

Throughout years, I got better and pretty good now. And, you know, it would mean a lot if get it approved and, you know, a good business opportunity for me and my family and you know? I'm really short with words. I really don't know what else to say, and, yeah, that's pretty much it.

How long have you been doing this?

I originally started in 2008. I was horrible. But throughout the years, I've come to I don't wanna say I mastered it, but I'm pretty good. I never think anybody ever masters it even though they call themselves a master. It's nobody's ever perfect.

It's a learning experience.

Yes. I don't know if it was mentioned, but, like, kids underage that wanna get pierced, they will need to get consent from their parent and birth certificate with validating that they're related with the parent, you know, just to confirm everything's being cross checked, everything just for myself and them. You know? Pretty much it. K. Thank you. Anybody else wishing to speak in favor of the project?

Okay, seeing none, I'll move on to the opposite side. Those opposed to the project, come forward. Seeing none, we'll go ahead and close the public input and bring it back to the commission for any further discussion and then If nothing, I'll go ahead and entertain a motion.

I move to adopt resolution 2025Dash36 approving conditional use permit number 50Five-twenty5.

I second. All right. Roll call, please. Oh, I'm sorry. It's been moved and seconded to adopt resolution number 2020Five-thirty6, the conditional use permit number 50Five-twenty5. Roll call vote, please.

Commissioner Norris? Yes. Commissioner Nelson?

Yes.

Vice Chair Douglas?

Yes. Your hand?

Yes. And so ordered. Good luck. Item has been approved and I'll go ahead and close the public hearing. Seeing nothing else, Director's comments.

Just two items very briefly. As many of you are probably aware, we are unfortunately Vice, or we'll say Commissioner Douglas is resigning from the Planning Commission, just want to extend sort of my appreciation for you. I know you've been doing it for some time, is that fair to say? I hope I'm not exaggerating by saying that. But we appreciate, from a staff side of things, we appreciate your willingness to work with us, your dedication as a Planning Commissioner. We're really fortunate to have you on the Commission as long as we had you. Thank you, and

I appreciate everybody's help answering my phone calls, answering the questions the best they could when I did call. I appreciate that very, very much.

Along those lines, because of that vacancy and some other vacancies, we are seeking some new planning commissioners. So we've opened up the opportunity for individuals to apply. So if you know people in town who might be interested in filling vacancies for the planning commission, council has elected to advertise three vacancies. So we will be looking for at least three applications. Get the word out. If you know people are interested, if they have questions, feel free to forward them to us, we're happy to answer them. That's all for me.

Before I If Commissioner Douglas is gone and we have two more vacancies, then we are not going to have a quorum. How are we going to handle that?

Yeah, we will need to I mean, we could still have a quorum because one of the vacancies, we have the alternate as well, so we have six, we could still fill with three. As far as the vacancies are concerned, just to go over the specifics of them, Commissioner Douglas, Commissioner Morris has some work conflicts that make it difficult for him to make the meetings as the alternate, so that position is vacant. And then Commissioner Curtis, his term is expiring at the 2025, at the end of this year, so there will be vacancy there. Counsel indicated he can apply, but they just weren't auto renewing those positions, right? So those would be the three.

The intent right now is to have counsel take action at their first meeting in January as far as filling those positions. So we may have a period of time, one meeting, where it's prior to counsel taking action. We'll see. It kind of depends on what council's timeline is on this, but my expectation is to have it, the first meeting in January, to council.

When I did speak with Travis, I let him know. I'm not familiar with all the things that have to happen through this, but I told him I'd be willing to serve through January, if that would help.

Yes, I think that would help if you're available and the stars align and we In the line, yeah. We would appreciate that. It sort of depends on the process and how counsel It takes time. Yeah. Hope to film as soon as possible January. At that same time, we would do the reorganization for Chair and Vice Chair as well, once we have the Planning Commission filled.

So if Commission was based on through January it feels good. Yes.

And hopefully the council will have something prior to February. Would absolutely expect it to be completed before February. That would be my thought. Just because the first meeting in January for council, I believe it was cancelled because it happens fall on the holidays. And they have their own reorganize.

I'm assuming that we will not have another meeting this month. I

think that's a correct assumption there.